
(M&-ZlZ^ 



Book 



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SCHOOLHISTORY 






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OF THE 



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UNITED STATES, 



CONTAINLN& 



MAPS, A CHRONOLOGICAL CHART, 



AND AN 



OUTLINE OF TOPICS 



FOR A MORE EXTENSIVE COURSE OF STUDY. 



By S. K. hall and A. E. BAKER. 




ANDOVER: 

PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM PEIRCE, 

and sold by the principal BOOKSELLEKS THROUanOUT THE 
UNITED STATES. 

1839. 



^ \^-'^ 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



In presenting the public with a new edition of this 
compend, it is proper to remark that many parts have 
been rewritten and enlarged. Most of the notes in the 
former edition are incorporated into the text, and the 
maps and chart, originally designed for tlie work, are 
inserted. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1838, 

By William PeircE; 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. 



INTRODUCTION. 



TO THE YOUNG. 

Allow us to call your attention to a subject, which, to every 
person of reflection, must be acknowledged both interesting and 
important. The reasons why you should become acquainted with 
the history of your country are various. You are soon to become 
citizens of a most interesting republic. The United States of 
America comprise one of the most important territories on the face 
of the globe, extensive, varied, rich and salubrious. The people 
are highly distinguished. Their origin as a nation was peculiar; 
their trials and sufferings have been protracted and severe ; at the 
sg^e time their progress and growth have been wonderful. The 
government and laws are of their own choice, and are such as have 
excited the admiration and astonishment of other enlightened na- 
tions. Of the history of such a people, it is unpardonable for its 
own youth to remain ignorant. 

Besides, many of you are the descendants of those who have 
been actors in the grand scenes, an account of which makes up 
some of the most interesting details of the history of our country. 
To you, therefore, it must be deeply interesting to trace those 
scenes, and treasure up a knowledge of those events, which have 
been connected v/ith the origin of the blessings now so richly 
shared by you, and for which all are under obligation to render 
daily and hourly thanks to Him, under whose kind providence 
they have been achieved and preserved. 

The changes which have taken place are many, and, contem- 
plated aright, truly astonishing. "We look around, and find the 
institutions of science, religion and civil government adapted to our 
convenience, safety and enjoyment. Schools have been established; 
churches, erected; villages, towns and cities built; roads, turnpikes, 
canals and rail-roads, constructed; and ten thousand other blessings 
are here enjoyed, whose value we can scarcely appreciate. But 



4 INTRODUCTION. 

these things were not always so; indeed, they were not lately so. 
A venerable few are now living, to whose astonished eyes the 
creations and changes of the past half century seem liitle less than 
magic. They linger with delight and wonder on the tale of the 
scenes and events, 

"All which they saw, 
A part of which they were." 

But these are passing rapidly away; soon the last one of the 
actors in our Revolution will have gone down to the grave of his 
fathers. The voice of these worthies will no longer be heard 
amidst their descendants, around the domestic hearth, relating the 
story of their country — its days of wo and weal. 

To you, therefore, the written page must supply the place of the 
animated tale from the venerable men whose voice is silenced by 
the tomb. And a portion of the period allotted for the pursuits of 
science is claimed by this subject. 

The rising generation of this country ought to be made early 
and famiharly acquainted with the way in which God has led 
their fathers, and to know the expenses they incurred in providing 
the legacy they have left. It may be said, in truth, that God 
hath not dealt so with any other people. His hand was scarcely 
more conspicuous in bringing Israel out of Egypt, than in pro- 
viding for the settlement of the Pilgrims in the new world. Hardly 
more conspicuous to the sons of Jacob were the pillars of cloud 
and of fire, than have been the dispensations of his providence in 
establishing and defending his American Israel. Blessings like 
those we now enjoy must be known, and their expense, their char- 
acter, their value appreciated, if we would hope to see them defended 
and perpetuated. In our hands they are to be preserved or lost. 
This responsibility is ours, and we can no more divest ourselves af 
it, than we can terminate our rational existence. There is not, 
therefore, a son or daughter of the American republic, to whom the 
details of our history can be either useless or uninteresting. Let 
us, therefore, call your attention to this interesting study. 



DIRECTIONS 



ABOUT THE MANNER, OF STUDYING- THIS BOOK. 



1. Let the pupil become perfectly familiar with, the principles on 
which the chart is constructed, and with the grand divisions of the 
history, by studying the introductory chronological lesson and by 
examining the chart at the end of the volume. 

2. Let each chapter or section be read before it is studied, 
that the pupil may have some general idea of the most prominent 
events. 

3. If the pupils are advanced in age and education, let them 
omit the questions at the bottom of the page, and recite by those at 
the end of the chapters, and by others which the teacher may 
readily frame from the analysis at the top of the page. In some 
instances it may be well, especially if part of the pupils have other 
histories of the United States, to study and recite by the subjects in 
the Outline, and then the pupils will mutually teach each other. 
In that case, the maps and chart should be drawn on a tablet or 
black-board, so that all the students may recite the geographical 
and chronological questions. 

4. Young pupils should study and recite by the questions at the 
bottom of the pages and at the end of the chapters, reviewing at 
the close of a chapter the questions at the end of the previous 
one. 

5. On review, let the maps of battle-fields be drawn on a 
black-board, and let the pupil describe the battles. Let him also 
draw a large chronological chart like that at the end of the 
book, dividing it into periods and smaller divisions; and when 
the chronological questions are asked, let him designate the point 
in the line where the events to which they relate should be chro- 
nologized. 



6 MANNER OF STUDYING THIS BOOK. 

6. When the pupil has completed the study of the volume^ he 
should have the chronological chart so familiar that he can readily 
recall in its proper connection any prominent event. 

7. The importance of the events is generally designated on the 
chart by the size of the type. 



INTRODUCTORY CHRONOLOGICAL LESSON. 



Those questions to which the answer is not here given, must be 
answered by consulting the History or the Chart. 

Q. What is chronology ? 

A. The science of computing and adjusting periods of 
time. 

Q. What event divides chronology into ancient and 
modern ? 

A. The birth of Christ. 

Q. How many years are included in the first of these 
divisions ? 

A. 4004. 

Q. How many in the second ? 

A. 1839, [or as the year may be.] 

Q. How many of the years which modern chronology 
embraces are included in this History ? 

Q. What are the smaller divisions of chronology 
called ? 

A. Periods or Epochs. 

Q. Into how many periods is this History divided ? 

Q. Why is it more difficult to remember dates than 
events ? 

A. Because they are not generally associated by such 
numerous and striking relations. 

Q. On what principle do maps and charts aid us in 
overcoming this difficulty ? 

A. By enabling us to associate dates and events by 
contiguity in time and place. 



8 CHRONOLOGICAL LESSON. 

Q. In constructing a chart, should the line on which 
events are chronologized be drawn perpendicularly or 
horizontally ? 

A. Horizontally. 

Q. Why? 

A. Because we naturally speak of time as flowing. 
Thus we speak of the stream of time, the course of 
time, &c. 

Q. In the chart, how many equal divisions are there 
which are numbered by figures above the line ? 

Q. Into how many smaller portions, each representing 
one year, is each of these divisions subdivided ? 

Q. For what is the first period distinguished, or to what 
do most of its events relate ? 

Q. How many years does it include ? 

Q. How many divisions of the line ? 

Q. With what date and event does it begin ? 

Q. With what does it end ? 

Let the last five questions be repeated in regard to each of the 
remaining periods, till the answers become perfectly familiar. 



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LIST OF AUTHORS, 

CONSULTED IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS WORK, WITH 

ABBREVIATIONS FOR THE PURPOSE OF FUTURE REFER- 
ENCE IN THE OUTLINE FOR A MORE EXTENDED COURSE OF 
STUDY. 

Abbreviations. 

Holmes' American Annals, H. 

"Willard's Republic of America, W. 

Robertson's History of America, R. 

Bancroft's History of the United States, B. 

Universal History, U. 

Pitkins' History of the United States, P. 

Irving's Life of Columbus, I. 

Neal's History of the Puritans, N. 

Gordon's History of the United States, G. 

Naval Monument, N. M. 

Williams' History of Vermont, V". 

Marshall's Life of Washington, M. 

Thatcher's Lives of the Indians, T. 

Hinton's History of the United States, H h. 

Ramsay's History of the United States, R r. 

Trumbull's History of Connecticut, The. 

Swett's Life of Putnam, S p. 

American Annual Register, A a. 

Hale's History of the United States, H h s. 

His'tory of the United States by a citizen of Massachusetts, H m. 

Encyclopsedia Americana, E a. 

Grimshaw's United States, G a. 

Allen's Biographical Dictionary, A b. 

Eliot's u u E ]y 

Niles' Register, N r, 

Goodrich's United States, G u s. 

Mather's Magnalia, M m. 

Quarterly Register. Q. 



10 OUTLINE OF TOPICS FOR A 

Finley's United States Gazetteer, F g. 

Key to History and Statistics, K h. 

Worcester's History, "W h.. 

Ty tier's History, Th. 

Millot's Elements of History, M e. 

Olney's History of the United States, 0. 

Webster's " " " Wb. 



OUTLINE FOR A MORE EXTENSIVE COURSE OF STUDY. 

The following list of topics with references to various authors is 
given for the purpose of aiding those who wish to acquire a more 
minute and particular knowledge. The authors are referred to by 
the abbreviations taken from the preceding list. 

When the topics on which references are given relate to particu- 
lar events, the date is generally prefixed. No reference is made to 
the page in this volume on which any particular subject is treated, 
since, by reference to the corresponding date, the student may 
easily ascertain whether it is noticed in the history. 

After the references here given on each event, a small space is 
left to afford any who may desire it an opportunity to make addi- 
tional references. 

PERIOD OF DISCOVERIES. 

Embracing 115 years, from 1492 to 1607. 

1492.— First voyage of Columbus. H. v 1. pp 3 — 6. W. p 24. 
R. V 1. p 54. B. V 1. p 7. U. V 34. p. 103. L 

1493.— Second " H. v 1. p 6—11. R. v 1. pp 67—72. 
U. V 34. p 107. W. p 24. I. 

1497.— Voyage of the Cabots. H. v 1. p 17. R. v 2. p 195. 
B. V 1. p 8. W. p 25. U. V 35. pp 333—269. 

1498.— Third voyage of Columbus. I. H. v 1. p 19. R. v 1. 
p 79. W. p 24. U. V 34. p 109. 



MORE EXTENDED COURSE OF STUDY. 11 

1499. — Voyage of Americus Vespucius. H. v 1. p 21. U. v 34, 
p 111. R. V 1. p 85. B. V 1. p 11. W. p 25. 

1502. — Fourth voyage of Columbus. H. v 1. p 28. R. v 1. p 
93. W. p 24. B. V 1. p 94. I. 

1506,— Death of Columbus. H. v 1. p 34, R. v 1. p 99, 

1524. — Discovery of Florida, by the French under Verrazano. 
H. V 1. p 68, W. p 26. B. V 1. p 17. 

1534. — Discovery of the St, Lawrence by the French under J. 
Carticr. H. v 1, p 84. B, v 1. p 21. U, v 35, p 

38. 

1541. — Discovery of the Mississippi, by the Spaniards under De 
Soto. W. p 27. 

1550.— Origin of the Puritans. H. v 1. p 5. N. v 1. pp 257 
—348, 

1560. — Dissolution of the connection of the Puritans with the 
established church. N. v 1, pp 257—348, 

1585. — Settlement of Raleigh's colony at Roanoke, by Greenville. 
H. V 1. p 119. W. p 31. R. V 2. p 204. B, v 1. 
p 109. U, V 35, p 236. 

1587,— Raleigh's second colony. H. v 1. p 124. W. p 31. R. 
V 2. p 206. B. V 1. p 118. 

1602. — Discovery of Cape Cod by Gosnold. H. v 1. p 142. 
W. p 31, U. V 35. p 284. R. v 2. p 208. 

1604, — ^Voyage and discoveries of De Monts. H. v 1. p 1 
W. p 32. 

1606. — Patents of the London and Plymouth companies. H. v 
1. p 153. W. p 32. R. V 2, p 209, B. v 1. p 136. 
U. V 35. p 245. 



12 OUTLINE OF TOPICS FOR A 

1607.— Settlement of Jamestown. H. v 1. p 155. W. p 33. 
R. V 2. p 212. B. V 1. p 142. U. v 35. p 245. G. 
V 1. p 52. 

" Puritans flee from England to Holland. B. v 1. p 325. 
N. V 2. p 70. 



PERIOD OF SETTLEMENTS. 

Embracing 36 years, from 1607 to 1643. 

1609. — Second charter of Virginia. H. v 1. p 164. 

" Indian plot discovered by Pocahontas. H. v 1. p 165. 

" Discovery of Hudson river and lake Champlain. H. v 
1. p 167. W. p 35. 

1611. — Arrival of Sir Thomas Dale and of Sir Thomas Gates at 
Virginia. H. v 1. p 172. W. p 36. R. v 2. p 218. 
B. V 1. p 159. G. V 1. p 54. U. v 35. p 248. 

1612.— Third charter of Virginia. H. v 1. p 175. B. v 1. p 
162. R. V 2. p 218. 

1613. — Dutch settlements on the Hudson. H. v 1. p 180. W. 
p. 38. 

1614.— Settlement of New York. H. v 1. p 183. W. p 38. 

« Smith's voyage to North Virginia or New England. H. 

V 1. p 183. W. p 38. R. V 2. p 219. also p 238. 

1616. — Sir George Yeardly governor of Virginia. H. v 1. p 188. 
B. V 1. p 170. G. V 1. p 55. 

1619.— First Virginia assembly. H. v 1. p 195. W. p 39. B. 

V 1. p 170. G. V 1. p 55. 



MORE EXTENDED COURSE OF STUDY. 13 

1619. — The Puritans obtain their first patent. H. v 1. p 198. 
W. p 40. G. V 1. letter 1. 

1620. — Puritans leave Ley den and land at Plymouth. H. v 1. 
pp 190—202. W. p 40, 41. R. v 2. p 244. B. v 

1. p 333—337. G. v 1. letter 1. N. v 2. p 147. U. 

V 35. pp 250—286. 

" Negroes imported into Virginia. H. v 1. p 206. U. v 
35. pp 250—286. R. v 2. p 220. G. v 1. p 56. 

1621.— Constitution of Virginia. H. v 1. p 215. W. p 44. B. 

V 2. p 221. B. V 1. p 174. G. v 1. p 57. 

1622. — Indian massacre in Virginia. H. v 1. p 222. R. v 2. 
p 222. B. V 1. p 192. G. v 1. p 57. 

1623. — Settlement at Piscataqua by Mason and Gorges. H. v 1. 
p 228. W. p 44. B. V 1. p 355. 

1624. — Charges against the Virginia colony. H. v 1. p 233. 
W. p 45. R. V 2, p 225. B. v 1. p 204. G. v 1. 
p 58. 

1627. — Settlement of the Swedes and Fins on the Delaware. H. 

V 1. p 242. W. p 45. 

1628.— Settlement of Salem. H. v 1. p 243. W. p 46. R. v 

2. p 249. G. V 1. p 16. 

1629.— Settlement of Charlestowii. H. v 1. p 250. W. p 4(5. 
R. V 2. p 250. 

1630. — ^Winthrop governor of Massachusetts colony. H. v 1. p 
254. W. p 46. U. V 35. p 293. 

" Settlement of Dorchester, Roxbury and Boston. H. v 1. 
pp 255—257. W. p 46. R. v 2. pp 250, 251. 

1532.— Grant of Maryland to Lord Baltimore. W. p 48. G. v 
1. p 65. U. V 30. p 107. 

2 



14 OUTLINE OF TOPICS FOR A 

1633.— Settlement of Connecticut. H. v 1. p 272. W. p 48. 
G. V 1. letter 1. 

1634. — Settlement of Maryland by Catholics. H. v 1. p 274. 
W. p 48. U. V 36. p 108. 

1635. — Settlement of Wethersfield and "Windsor. W. p 50. G. 

V 1. letter 1. 

" Charter of Plymouth surrendered to the crown. H. v 1. 
p 279. W. p 49. B. V 1. p 440. 

1636.— Settlement of Hartford. U. v 35. p 295. H. v 1. p 286. 
W. p 50. 

" Settlement of Rhode Island by Roger Williams. B. v 

1. p 411. G. V 1. letter 1. H. v 1. p 286. W. p 
51. 

1637. — Harvard college established at Cambridge. U. v 35. p 
301. W. p 51. 

" Pequod war. H. v 1. pp 292—295. W. p 52. R. v 

2. p 257. B. V 1. p 430. 

" Religious dissensions by Ann Hutchinson. "W. p 51. H. 

V 1. p 297. R. V 2. p 254. 

1638. — Settlement of New Haven, Conn, and Exeter, N. H. H. 

V 1. p 300. G. V 1. p 38. 

1639. — Constitution of Connecticut. H. v 1. p 307. W. p 55. 
B. V 1. p 434. 

" First printing press in America, at Cambridge. H. v 1. p 
310. W. p 55. G. V 1. p 38. 

" Incorporation of Maine. H. vl. p310. "VV. p55. 

" House of assembly in Maryland. W. p 55. 



MORE EXTENDED COURSE OF STUDY. 15 

1640. — First general court in Maine and the formation of the gov- 
ernment of Providence, R. I. B. v 1. ch 10. 

1641. — Union of New Hampshire with Massachusetts, W, p 56. 
B. v-1. p 452. 

1642. — Indian war in Maryland. W. p 56, 

1643. — Union of the New England colonies. H. v 1. p 326. 
W. p 56, R, V 2. p 260. B. v 1. p 454. 



PERIOD OF INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 

Embracing 46 years, from 1643 to 1689,' 

1644. — Roger Yvilliams obtains a charter of Rhode Island and Pro- 
vidence Plantations. W, p 58. 

1646. — Acts of the Massachusetts legislature for evangelizing 
the Indians, Rev. John Elliot. Laws of Massachusetts 
against the Quakers. H. v 1. p 337, 

1648. — First execution for witchcraft in New England, H. v 1. 
p 345. Cambridge Platform. U. v 35. p 307. 

1649. — Grant of a part of Virginia to Culpepper and others, W. 
p 59. U. V 35. p 261. 

1651. — Civil war in Maryland. Y/. p 60. 

1652. — Union of Maine to Massachusetts. H. v 1. p 357, 

1656. — Persecution of the Quakers in Massachusetts, H. v 1. pp 
367, 374, 375. W. p 61. B. v 1. p 490. U. v 35. p 307. 

1663.— Charter of Rhode Island. H. v 1. p 386. W. p 63. 

" Charter of Carolina to Clarendon. H. v 1. p 387. U, v 
36. p 89. 

1664. — New York surrendered to the English. H. v 1, p 390, 
"VY, p 64. G. V 1. letter 1. U. v 35. p 346. 



16 OUTLINE OF Tones FOR A 

1665. — City of New York incorporated. G. v 1. letter 1. H. r 
1. pp 392—394. 

1671. — Charleston S. C. settled, and Carolina divided into North 
and South. W. p 65. 

1673. — War between England and Holland. W. p 66. U. v 
35. p 340. 

" New York restored to the Dutch. H. v 1. pp 415, 416. 
U. V 35. p 346. 

1674.— New Yorlc restored to the English. H. v 1. p 417. W. 
p 66. 

1675.— Philip's war. H. v 1. p 430. U. v 35. p 310. W. p 67. 

1681. — Grant of Pennsylvania to William Penn. H. v 1. p 454. 
W. p 74, G. V 1. p 82. U. V 36. p 117. 

1682. — Pcnn frames a government, begins a settlement, founds 
Philadelphia. H. v 1. pp 455—458. W. p 74. G. v 
1. p 83. 

1684. — Massachusetts deprived of her charter. Peace with the 
Five Nations. H. v 1. pp 462, 403. W. pp 76, 77. 

1686. — Andros governor of New England. H. v 1. pp 168 — 172. 
W. p 77. 



PERIOD OF THE WARS OF ENGLAND UNDER WILLIAM AND 

BIARY AND QUEEN ANN. 

Embracing 24 years, from 1689 to 1713. 

1690. — William's war, in which the colonies greatly suflfer, H. v 
1. pp 477, 478. W. p 81. U. v 35. p 321. 

1692.— New charter of Massachusetts. G. v 1. p 98. H. v 2. p 1. 



MORE EXTENDED COUP.SE OF STUDY. 17 

1692.— Witchcraft in Massachusetts. H. v 2. p 5. W. p 80. 

1697. — Peace of Ryswic ends V/illiam's war. H. v 3. p 37. 
W. p 90. 

1698.— French encroachments on Nova Scotia. H. v 2. p 42. 
U. V 35. p 330. 

1699. — Project of the Frcncli to conquer New England. U. v 15. 
p 486. 

1700. — French settlements in Louisiana. U. v 36. p 64. 

1702.— War of England with France and Spain. W. p 94. H. 

V 2. pp 57—59. 

1703. — Maine ravaged by the French and Indians from Casco to 
Wells. W. p 94. 

1706. — French and Indians invade Canada. W. p 95. 

1708.— Saybrook Platform. W. p 96. II. v 2. p 72. 

1710. — English expedition against Port Royal. AV. p 97. II. v 2. 
p 76. 

1711. — Un.successful expedition against Canada under Walker. 
U. V 35. p 338. W. p 97. 

1712. — Indian war in North Carolina. H. v 2. pp 81 — 83. 



PERIOD OF THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAI'.fS, 7\ND OF THE 
BRITISH OPPRESSIQN.S. 

Embracing 62 years, from 111'.' to 1775. 

1713. — Peace of Utrecht, at the close of Queen Ann's war. W. p 
99. H. v 2. p 85. 

1715.— Indian war m South Carolina. IL v 2. pp 89—91 W. p 99. 
2# 



18 OUTLINE OF TOPICS FOR A 

1717.— New Orleans founded. W. p 100. H. v 2. p 29, 93. 

1722. — Treaty with the Six Nations at Albany. H. v 2. p 106. 

1723.— Settlement of Vermont. W. p 101. 

1729. — First German emigration to Pennsylvania. U. v 36. p 139. 

1732.— Settlement of Georgia. H. v 2. p 130. W. p 105. G. 
vl.p95. 

1739.— War between England and Spain. W. p 111. 

1740. — Oglethorpe's invasion of Florida. W. p 111. H. v 2. pp 
155—157. G. V 1. p 94. 

1744.~\Var of England with France and Spain. H. v 2. p 160. 
W. p 112. 

1745, — Attack of the colonists on Louisbnrg, under Pepperell. G. 
vl.pllO. H. v2. pl66. W. pll3. 

1748.— Treaty of peace at Aix la Chapelle. H. v 2. p 177. W. p 
114. G. vl. pl20. 

1750.— Grant to the Ohio Company. G. v 1. p 119. W. p 115. 

1752. — Georgia surrenders her charter to the king. H. v 2. pp 
108, 109. W. p 112. G. V 1. letter 1. 

1753. — French encroachments upon the territory of the Ohio Com- 
pany, and Washington commissioned to check them. H. 
V 2. pp 192—195. W. p 115. G. v 1. p 120. 

1755. — Attacks upon the French by the colonists and the British 
under Braddock and others. W. pp 118 — 121. H. v 2. 
^ pp 204— 214. G.vl.pl32. 

1756. — War declared by England against France. Attacks on 
forts Oswego and Granby. W. pp 123—125. H. v 2. pp 
118—121. 



MORE EXTENDED COURSE OF STUDY. 19 

1757.— Attack on fort William Henry. H. v 2. p 223. W. p 128. 

1758. — Attacks at Louisburg, Ticonderoga, Frontenac. Du Quesne. 
H. V 2. pp 226—332. W. pp 129—131. 

1759. — Attacks at Ticonderoga, Niagara, the Plains of Abraham 
and Crown Point. H. v 2. pp 233—244: W. pp 132— 
136. 

1760. — Surrender of Canada, and hostility of the Cherokees. W. 
pp 136, 13S. H. V 2. pp 244—250. 

1761. — Battle with the Cherokees and treaty of peace with them. 
W. p 138. H. V 2. pp 252, 253. 

1763, — Treaty of peace between France and England. H. v 2. p 
258. W. p 141. U. V 36. p 82. 

" "Writs of Assistance. G. v 1. p 141. 

1764. — British Acts respecting sugar, molasses and other articles. 
W. p 145. G. V 1. p 141. 

" Committee of Correspondence in Massachusetts on British 
taxation. G. v 1. p 152. 

1765. — Stamp Act, and opposition of the colonists to it. Vv^. pp 145 
_147. G. V 1. p 158. H. V 3. pp 269—275. 

1766.— Stamp Act repealed. W. p 150. G. v 1. p 262. H. v 2. 
p 278. 

1767.— Duty on paper. H. v 2. p 279. W. p 151. 

1768. — Circular of Massachusetts to the colonies. G. v 1. p 222. 
W. p 151. H. V 2. p 281. 

" Boston Convention. G. v 1. p 244. W. p 152. 

" .Arrival of British troop.s at Boston. G. v 1. p 238. H. v 
^ :>2S5. "W, p ]52. 



20 OUTLINE OF TOPICS FOR A 

1769. — Agreement of the colonists on non-importation. G. v i. pp 
265—272. W. p 153. H. v 2. p 287. 

1770.— Boston Massacre. H. v 2. p 294. W. p 153. 

" Duties abolished except on tea. W. p 154. G. v 1. p 279. 

1772. — Measures of the colonists in opposition to British oppres- 
sion. H. V 2. p 300. W. p 154. G. v 1. p 312. 

1773. —Settlement of Kentucky. H. v 2. p 306. 

" Destruction of the tea. W. p 155. G. v 1. p 341. 

1774. — Boston port bill. Criminals sent to England for trial. 
First continental congress. Declaration of rights. H. v 
2. pp 307—318 W. pp 155—160. G. from v 1. p 350 to 
v2. p 100. 



PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION. 

Embracing 8 years, from 1775 to 1783. 

1775. — Battles at Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill ; congress at 
Philadelphia ; Washington generalissimo ; capture of 
Montreal, and attack on Quebec. W. pp 166 — 173. XL 
^2. pp 325—336. G. from v 1. p 478 to v 2. p 200. 

1776. — Evacuation of Boston ; declaration of independence ; bat- 
tles at Long Island, White Plains and Trenton. H. v 2. 
pp 250—270. W. pp 175—193. G. v 2. pp 200—390. 

1777. — Battles of Princeton and Trenton ; at Brandywine andGer- 
mantown ; near Stillwater ; at Bennington and Saratoga. 
La Fayette. H. v 2. pp 370—394. W. pp 194—213. 
G. V 2. pp 390—558. 

1778.— Alliance with France. Evacuation of Philadelphia. Bat- 
tles at Monmouth, in Rhode Island, and at Savannah. 
H. V 2. pp 396-410. W. pp 213-223. G. v 3. pp 
100—168. 



MOKE EXTENDED COURSE OF STUDY. 21 

1779. — Battles at Savannah and Stono Feny. Arrival of Count 
D'Estaing. Expedition against the Six Nations. H. v 
2. pp 413—424. \V. pp 223—234. G. v 3. pp 260—327. 

1780.— Surrender of Charleston. Battles near Camden, at Broad 
river, and Black Stocks. Treachery of Arnold and An- 
dre. H. V 2. pp 428—440. \V. pp 236—248. G. v 3. 
pp 358—481. 

1781. — Battles at Cowpens, Guilford, near Camden, at Ninety-six, 
Eutaw Springs and Yorktown. H. v 2. pp 441—463. 
W. pp 251—265. G. V 4. pp 33—209. 

1782. — British and Indians repelled near Savannah. Indepen- 
dence acknowledged by Holland. Treaty of England 
with France, preparatory to one with the United States. 
H. V 2. pp 464-466. "W. p 271. G. v 4. pp 290— 340. 

1783.— Treaty of peace with England, disbanding of the army, 
and acknowledgement of independence by most of the 
European powers. H. v 2. pp 467 — 469. W. pp 271 — 
273. G. V 4. pp 349— 393 



PERIOD OF THE FORMATION OF THE CONSTITUTION, AND OF THE 
ADMINISTRATIONS OF WASHINGTON, ADAMS AND JEFFERSON. 

Embracing 29 years, from 1783 to 1812. 

1786. — Shay's insurrection in Massachusetts ; insurrection m 
New Hampshire. H. v 2. pp 471—474. W. pp 273— 
276. 

1787. — Termination of the insurrection ; federal constitution agreed 
on. H. V 2. p 478— 480. W. p 276. 

1789. — Adoption of the federal constitution ; inauguration of 
Washington. H. v 2. pp 482, 483. W. p 282. 

1790-l.~Bank of the United States incorporated ; General St. 
Clair defeated by the Wabash and other Indians. II. v 
2. pp 484, 485. W. pp 287- 289. 



22 OUTLINE OF TOPICS FOR A 

1793. — Re-election of Washington. 

1794. — Insurrection in Pennsylvania. H. v 2. pp 489 — 492. 

1797. — Inauguration of John AdamS; and peace with Tripoli. H. 
V 2. pp 496, 497. 

1798. — Army raised and "Washington appointed to its command, 
H. V 2. pp 497, 498. 

1801. — Inauguration of Thomas Jefferson, and war with Tripoli. 
W. pp 303, 304. 

1804. — Decatur takes and burns the Philadelphia at Tripoli ; and 
Preble's attack on Tripoli. W. p 314. 

1805. — Re-inauguration of Thomas Jefferson ; treaty of peace with 
- Tripoh. W. p 315. 

1806.— British search American vessels. W. pp 316, 317. 

1807. — Trial of Burr; invention of the steamboat by Fulton. (See 
his life.) 

" Battle betweeo the Leopard and Chesapeake ; Milan de- 
cree. W. pp 318—320. N. M. 

1809. — Non-intercourse act ; inauguration of Madison. W. pp 
320—329. 

1810. — Intercourse resumed with France. W. pp 320, 321. 

1811. — Battle between the Little Belt, a British sloop of war, and 
the United States frigate President. Defeat of the Indians 
at Tippecanoe. W. pp 321, 322. N. M. 



MORE EXTENDED COURSE OF STUDY. 23 



PERIOD OF THE LAST WAR, AND OF THE ADMINISTRATIONS OF 
PRESIDENTS MADISON, MONROE, ADAMS AND JACKSON. 

Embracing 18 years, frovi 1812 to 1830. 

1812. — Declaration of war between the United States and England. 
Battles in Canada, at Brownstown, at Queenstown j 
naval engagements between the Alert and Essex j Guer- 
riere and Constitution ; the Frolic and Wasp, between 
both of these and the Poictiers ; between the Macedo- 
nian and United States frigate ; and between the Java 
and Constitution. Elliot's capture of the Detroit and 
Caledonia on lake Erie. W. pp 324—344. N. M. 

1813. — Re-inauguration of Madison. Battles at Frenchtown ; Og- 
densburg ; Lewiston (Del.) 5 York (U. C); fort Meigs ; 
on the coast of the Chesapeake ; forts George and Erie ; 
Sackett's Harbor ; Craney Island ; fort Mims (Al.); De- 
troit ; at the Thames ; at Tallushatches ;_ Talladega ; 
Williamsburg (U. C.) Naval engagements between the 
Peacock and Hornet ; Shannon and Chesapeake ; Peli- 
can and Argus ; Boxer and Enterprise ; between the 
British squadron on lake Erie and the Americans under 
• Perry ; the British flotilla and the Americans under 

Chauncey. N. M. W. pp 352—368. 

1814. — Battles Tohopeka ; LaColle; fort Erie; Chippewa; Bridge- 
water ; Stonington ; Bladensburg ; Washington and Al- 
exandria ; Plattsburg ; near Baltimore ; at Pensacola ; 
below New Orleans. Naval engagements between the 
British vessels Phebe and Cherub, and the United States 
frigate Essex ; between the Orpheus and Frolic ; Eper- 
vier and Peacock ; Reindeer and Wasp ; Avon and 
Wasp. British squadron on lake Champlain captured by 
the Americans under Macdonough. Hartford Conven- 
tion. N. M. W. pp 369—400. 

1815. — Final battle at New Orleans ; war with Algiers ; massacre 
of American prisoners at Dartmoor (Eng.); treaty of 



24 OUTLINE OF TOPICS, ETC. 

peace with England ; naval engagements between the 
English frigate Endymion and President ; between the 
Penguin and Hornet ; of the Cyane and Levant with the 
Constitution. W. pp 400—403. N. M. 

1816. — Establishment of a national bank ; treaties with the Chero- 
kees and other Indians J new tariff. W. p. 404. 

1817. — Inauguration of President Monroe ; cession of Indian lands 
in Ohio to the United States. W. p 405. 

1818. — Treaty with Sweden ; war with the Seminole Indians. 
W. pp 407, 408. 

1821. — Re-election of President Monroe ; cession of Florida to the 
United States. W. pp 411, 412. 

1823. — Commodore Porter subdues the pirates of the West Indies. 
W. p 412. 

1824.— New tariff j visit of La Fayette. W. p 413. 

1825. — Inauguration of John Quincy Adams. W. pp 418 — 420. 

1829. — Inauguration of General Jackson. 

1830. — Bill for the removal of the Cherokecs, 



SCHOOL HISTORY 



OF THE 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



CHAPTER L 



Embracing 115 years ; from the discovery of America, in 1492, to 
the first permanent settlement, in 1007. 

PERIOD OF DISCOVERIES. 
Knowledge of America arnonij the ancients. 



Some historians believe that the Scandinavians, and other 
inhabitants of the north of Europe, discovered America and 
founded colonies upon it in the tenth and eleventh centu- 
ries. Perhaps future research, in the antiquities of those 
nations, may show that such an opinion is well founded.* 
But until there is additional evidence to support this theory, 
we must regard it as uncertain. 

There can, however, be no doubt that this continent wa.s 
unknown to the sovJJl of Europe till toward the close of the 
fifteenth century. While her mariners were, at that time, 
sailing along the coast of Africa, in search of a passage to the 

* See Antiquitates Americanse, by the Royal Society of North- 
em Antiquarians. 

[The questions v/ith a small figure before ihern are to be an- 
swered from the maps, and the figure refers to the number of the 
map on which the place may be found. 

The questions in italics are designed to exercise the pupil's 
judgment, and he will generally be able to answer them after a 
little reflection] 
What knowledge of America are the Scandinavians supposed to 

have had? 
Did such knowledge prevail among the inhabitants of the south of 
Europe ? 

3 



26 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Columbus. His application for aid. 

East Indies, they accidentally discovered some rude speci- 
mens of architeclure, and the dead bodies of two men of a 
different complexion from themselves. Their knowledge 
of the round figure of the earth, together with these and 
other similar discoveries, suggested to them the idea of 
land across the Atlantic. Still they had no conception of a 
new world. They supposed that these bodies were drifted 
upon their shores from some distant island of the western 
ocean, or from the eastern coast of their own continent. 
The latter seems to have been the general opinion. Hence 
Christopher Columbus, a native of Genoa in Italy, believed 
that the East Indies might be reached by sailing in a west- 
ern direction. His boldness and enterprise, his perseve- 
rance and knowledge of geography and navigation, well 
fitted him to test the truth of this theory. Still he was 
poor, and could not command funds sufficient to fit out a 
fleet for such an expedition. 

He made application for aid first to his native country. 
But he could not infuse into his countrymen a spirit of 
enterprise sufficient to induce them to furnish the desired 
supplies. 

He applied next to John, king of Portugal, vv^ho seemed, 
at first, disposed to listen to his proposals ; but who secretly 
despatched a ship to make the intended discoveries, and 
when the voyage proved unsuccessful, treated him with 
coldness, and his theory as visionary. 

Disappointed, but not discouraged, he repaired to the 
court of Spain to sohcit aid from Ferdinand and Isabella; 
and, at the samB time, sent his brother Bartholomew to 
England to ask assistance of Henry VII. Spain was then 
involved in a war with the Moors of Granada, and, .on this 
account, the king and queen did not, at first, think it pru- 
dent to engage in such an adventure. But when the con- 

What suggested to them the idea of land across the Atlantic ? 
After what were they then searching ? (1) Where is Genoa? 
What theory did Columbus form respecting the East Indies ? 
What fitted him to test its truth ? What embarrassed him ? 
With what success did he apply for aid to his native country ? 
To Portugal ? To Spain ? 
Who was then king of Portugal? 
Who were the sovereigns of Spain ? 
Why did not the latter, at first, aid him ? 



PERIOD OF DISCOVERIES. 27 

Isabella's assistance. His departure. Variation of the needle. 

test was ended and victory had animated the Spanish 
court with the hope of peace and prosperity, Colum- 
bus and his friends, encouraged by the attention which 
their former suit received, renewed their solicitations and 
pressed them with greater earnestness and zeal. Ferdi- 
nand, partly from his natural cautiousness and partly from 
the low state of his finances, was still disinclined to comply 
with their request. But Isabella, fired with the glory which 
might result from the enterprise, pledged her jewels to aid 
in providing the requisite funds. 

She fitted out a small fleet of three ships, with ninety 
men, furnished with provisions for twelve months. Of 
these Columbus joyfully took the command, and sailed from 
Palos, a port in Spain, the 3d of August, 1492. He di- 
rected his course to the Canary islands. Having here 
refitted his vessels, he sailed from Gomera, the most west- 
erly of these islands, on the 6th of September. He steered 
directly west into a vast and unexplored ocean. 

The excellent qualities of their leader were not sufficient 
to dispel the fears of the ignorant and superstitious sailors. 
As they lost sight of Gomera and the peak of TenerilTc, 
their painful apprehensions rendered them unwilling to 
proceed. They expected to perish in a watery grave far 
from home and their native land. 

On the 13th of September, Columbus discovered that 
the needle of the compass did not point due nortli. This 
greatly increased the fears of the sailors, and led them to 
feel that they were approaching inevitable destruction. 
The next day the variation was greater. Columbus ex- 
plained this phenomenon by assigning a cause, which, 
though it did not satisfy his own mind, allayed the fears 
of his crew. He told them that the North Star revolved 

Where did he send his brother ? For what ? 

(1) Where is Granada? When did he renew his request ? 

What encouraged this ? How did Ferdinand treat it ? 

How Isabella? What aid did she furnish ? 

When did Columbus sail ? From what port ? (1) Where is it ? 

To what place did he sail? (1) Where are these islands ? 

(1) Which way from Palos ? Why did he stop here ? 

When did he depart ? (1) In what direction did he sail ? 

Why were the crew unwilling to proceed ? 

What increased their fears ? 



28 SCHOOL HISTORY 



Mutiny. Sig^ns of land. Light. Land discovered. Gratitude of the sailors. 

aroLind the true pole, and that they could not, therefore, 
expect the needle to point without some deviation to that 
star. 

He also encouraged them to go on by the hope of gain, 
from the anticipated discoveries. For a time they proceed- 
ed quietly; but their fears soon revived, and they unitedly 
demanded that their admiral should change his course and 
return to Spain. In vain he entreated, commanded and 
threatened. They declared their intention of casting him 
overboard, if he did not com.ply with their wishes. He 
was, at length, obliged to promise to comply with their 
demand, provided land should not be discovered within 
three days. From the large quantities of sea-weed, from 
the wood and timber which drifted by them, and from other 
such proofs of their near approach to land, Columbus con- 
fidently believed that this short space would be sufficient 
to gratify their longing eyes with the sight of land. 

He was not disappointed. On the evening of the 11th 
of October, the evidences that land must be near became 
so numerous and strong as to make it necessary for them 
to furl their sails and lie to, lest they should run ashore in 
the night. At midnight, when all were watching in sus- 
pense between hope and fear, Columbus descried alight. 
The joyful exclamation, " A light ! a light!" instantly re- 
sounded through the squadron. 

About two o'clock on the morning of the 12th of October, 
a gun from the Pinta, the foremost of the vessels, gave the 
joyful signal of land. It was first discovered by Rodrigo 
de Triana, one of the mariners. But the reward which 
Columbus had offered him who should first discover land, 
was afterwards adjudged to the admiral, for having previ- 
ously perceived the light. 

The mutinous sailors now made the most abundant con- 
How did Columbus explain the variation of the needle ? 
What hope did he encourage ? What did they, at length, threaten ? 
What promise did he make them ? 
What made him hope for the sight of land ? 
W^hat did they do in the evening ? 
What did they discover at midnight ? 
What feeling did this discovery excite ? 
When did they discover land ? Who saw it first ? 
Why, then, was the reward given to Columbus? 
What change in the feelings of the sailors ? 



PERIOD OF DISCOVERIES. 29 



Landing. St. Salvador. Fear of the natives. Their oniaments. Cuba. 

fessions to their commander. They even embraced him, 
and gave every other demonstration of their gratitude and 
ardent attachment. Instead of men devoted to destruction, 
they now considered themselves the favorites of fortune. 

Wlien the day dawned, Columhus saw before him a 
level and beautiful country. Richly dressed and with a 
drawn sword in his hand, he went on shore, and took pos- 
session of the land, he had discovered, in the name and for 
the crown of Isabella. No sooner had he landed, than he 
prostrated himself, kissed the earth, and, with tears of joy, 
gave thanks to God. His example was followed by his 
crew. 

The land he discovered proved to be one of the Bahama 
isles. To this island, called by the natives Guanahani, 
Columbus gave the name San Salvador, which means 
Holy Savior. He supposed it was one of the East India 
islands, and hence called its inhabitants Indians. 

As these sons of the forest beheld the ships and saw 
them veer about without any apparent effort, they thought 
them monsters of the deep. When the glittering armed 
men came on the shore, they fled in terror to the woods. 
But afterward, recovering from their fright, they approached ♦ 
the Spaniards with caution and timidity, regarding them 
fis celestial visitants, and prostrating themselves to adore 
them. 

The attention of Columbus and his men was directed to 
small pieces of gold, worn by some of the natives as orna- 
ments. From these the ardent hope was cherished that 
the newly discovered country abounded with the precious 
metals. In exchange for small pieces of glass, they ob- 
tained some small specimens of gold. 

Columbus remained several weeks and discovered some 
other islands, among which were Cuba and Hispaniola, 
or, as it is now called, Hayti or St. DomJngo. On the lat- 

How did Columbus land ? What land was discovered ? 

(1) Where is it ? Why were the inhabitants called Indians ? 

How did they regard the ships ? The Spaniards ? 

What about the natives attracted the attention of Columbus ? 

What expectation was awakened ? 

What did they give for some of these ornaments ? 

What other places did he discover ? 

(1) Which way are they from St. Salvador ? 

3* 



30 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

His return. Storm. Greeting. A second voyage. 

ter, with the consent of its sovereign, he erected a fort and 
left a party of his men. He obtained some of the produc- 
tions of the country, persuaded several of the natives to 
accompany him to Spain, and commenced his return on the 
4th of January, 1493. During his voyage, he vv'-as overta- 
ken by a severe storm, which almost proved fatal to his 
fleet. Desirous that the world should not lose the benefit 
of his discoveries, he wrote a brief description of them, en- 
closed it in wax, and, having put it into a cask, threw it into 
the sea, with the hope that some propitious breeze might 
waft it to a civilized shore, or that some future navigator 
might take it on board. The storm, however, abated, and, 
on the 15th of March, 1493, he reached Palos, the port 
from which he had sailed. 

He was greeted by the king and queen with the greatest 
cordiality ; and a knowledge of his discoveries spread rap- 
idly over Europe. Multitudes flocked around him to hear 
the story of his wonderful voyage. No event, for many 
centuries, had excited so deep an interest. Indeed, who 
can now fully conceive of the consequences of this grand 
enterprise ! Little, probably, did Colum.bus himself appre- 
.ciate the the importance of his voyage to succeeding gene- 
rations. It prepared the way for the rise of nations, which, 
by their learning, enterprise and wealth, are to extend an 
influence to the remotest parts of the world. So little do 
men generally appreciate the results of their conduct. 

Encouraged by the prospect of wealth and renown, Fer- 
dinand was willing to aid Columbus in prosecuting dis- 
coveries. He fitted out another fleet, which sailed from 
Cadiz, in Spain, on the 25th of September, 1493. As a 
reward for his services, Columbus was to be governor 

Where did he erect a fort ? Who returned with hira ? 
When did he sail ? What happened to him on his voyage ? 
Why did he throw an account of his discoveries overboard ? 
When did he arrive at Palos ? 
How was he received on his return ? 

Did Columbus fully understand the consequences of his discovery? 
Do men generally think much of the remote results of their con- 
duct ? Why not 1 
What did Ferdinand now do for Columbus ? 
When did Columbus begin a second voyage ? 
From what place did he sail ? (1) Which way is it from Palos? 



PERIOD OF DISCOVERIES. 31 

New discoveries. Attempts to reward his patrons. The Cabnts. 

of the newly discovered countries, and was also to have a 
share of the precious metals which might be found in them. 
In this voyage, he discovered Jamaica and several of the 
Caribee islands ; he became better acquainted with the 
character and habits of the natives ; but searched in vain 
for gold ; and, on revisiting Hispaniola, found his colony 
destroyed. At a short distance from the place where he left 
it, he established the first christian city in the new world, to 
which, in honor of his royal patroness, he gave the name 
of Isabella. 

His unsuccessful search for gold left him still destitute 
of the means of remunerating his patrons for the large sums 
they had advanced. His unwillingness wholly to disap- 
point their expectations induced him unjustly to seize sev- 
eral hundred Indians, and send them to Spain to be sold as 
slaves. Through the misrepresentations of those who, 
from time to time, returned from the city of Isabella, the 
character of Columbus suffered so much in the view of his 
employers that it became necessary he should return and 
remove these groundless suspicions. Accordingly he em- 
barked for Spain, on the 10th of March, 1496 ; and, after 
a -vo\mgQ of about three months, arrived at Cadiz. 

While, he remained in Spain, Henry VII., king of Eng- 
land, employed John Cabot and his son Sebastian to ex- 
plore the new world, and to search for a western passage 
to India. Furnished with one ship by the government and 
four small barks by private individuals, they sailed from 
Bristol in the month of May, 1497. On the 24th of the 
following month, Sebastian discovered Nev/foundland. He 
examined the coast from the sixtieth degree of north lati- 
tude to Florida, and took possession of the whole in behalf 
of his king. No settlements were attempted, nor did they 
visit the interior to ascertain the most convenient place 
for colonies. 

What new discoveries did he make ? 

(1) Which way are these islands from those previously di.scovered? 

What was his success in search of gold ? 

What became of his colony at Hispaniola ? 

What city did he found ? Whom did he send to Spain ? Why ? 

Hovv^ did his character suffer ? When did he return ? Why ? 

Who sent the Cabots to Am.erica ? For what ? When? 

What part of the coast did they explore ? 



32 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Columbus's 3d voyage. Colum. in chains. Voyage of Ojeda and Vespucius. 

Columbus, having removed the unjust prejudices which 
had been awakened against him in the Spanish court, 
commenced his third voyage on the 30th of May, 1498, 
He discovered the island of Trinidad, and the conti- 
nent of America near the mouth of the Orinoco river, 
and then proceeded to his settlement at Isabella, wdiere 
he was detained by the insurrection of his subjects until 
1500. 

In the mean time, his enemies again attempted by mis- 
representation and slander to ruin his character in the 
view of his Spanish sovereigns. At length their majes- 
ties sent over Bobadilla to inquire into the state of the 
colony, with the power to seize the bodies and confiscate 
the property of all culprits. In the exercise of this power^ 
being himself prejudiced against Columbus by false and 
slanderous reports, he seized him and sent him home in 
chains. This indignity was borne with a calmness and a 
fortitude characteristic of a truly great and noble spirit. On 
his arrival in Spain his sovereigns were apparently moved 
with indignation at the treatment he had received, though 
they would have furnished less occasion for suspecting 
their sincerity, if they had reinstated him in office and 
rewarded him for his services. 

In 1499, Alonzo de Ojeda, who had accompanied Co- 
lumbus in his first voyage, sailed, in company with Ameri- 
cus Vespucius, under the patronage of Portugal. They 
not only visited the continent, but surveyed a considerable 
part of its coast, and, on their return, the latter published 
such an account of his expedition, as to give his country- 
men the false impression that he was the original discov- 
erer of the country. Hence it has unjustly received his 
name. 

"When did Columbus sail on his third voyage ? 

"What discoveries did he make ? 

(1) Where are these places ? 

Which way from the places he previously discovered ? 

Why did he remain two years at Isabella? 

Why was Bobadilla sent over ? 

What did he do with Columbus ? 

How was Columbus treated on his return ? 

Who sailed for Portugal ? When ? 

Why was this country called America ? 



PERIOD OF DISCOVERIES. 33 

Colum. 4th voyage. His death. Verrazano. Cartier's 1st & 2d voyages. 

At this time Columbus had so far regained the confi- 
dence of his former patrons that they were induced to 
send him on a fourth voyage. This he commenced on 
the 30th of May, 1502. He first visited Hispaniola, from 
which the hand of violence had driven him. Here he was 
refused admittance, and, sailing thence, he discovered 
Porto Bello, the bay of Honduras, and several other 
places. He returned to Spain with his health enfeebled 
from fatigue and hardship, and also from the neglect of 
his sovereign, and the injustice he had received. Op- 
pressed with these and other misfortunes, he retired to 
Valladolid, in Spain, and there died on the 20th of May, 
1506. But his name will ever live in the hearts of a 
grateful people. 

No other discoveries of much importance, were made 
till 1524, v/hen John Verrazano, under French patronage, 
explored the coast from thirty to fifty degrees north latitude. 
He did little more than to follow the course of the Cabots. 

But in 1534, James Cartier was sent by the French 
king to make discoveries in America. He sailed in the 
same direction as those who had been previously sent by 
the same power to fish, about the shores of Newfoundland. 
The first land he saw, was Bonavista, the most eastern 
cape of that island. Here the severity of the weather and 
the ice prevented his landing, and he sailed south to avoid 
the coldest part of the season. Early in the spring he 
returned, explored the coast of Newfoundland and Labra- 
dor, and discovered the gulf of St. Lawrence. He soon 
returned to France. 

He was sent on a second expedition by the same 
government in 1535, when he sailed up the river St. Law- 
rence as far as the island of Hocholaga, which he called 

When did Columbus sail on his fourth voyage ? 

What places did he visit ? In what state did he return ? 

When did he die ? Where ? 

(1) In what part of Spain is it ? Who sailed in 1524 ? 

Under whose patronage ? With what success ? 

When did Cartier sail ? For whom ? 

V/hat places did he first discover? 

(1) Where are they? 

What other places did he afterwards discover ? 

When did he make a second voyage ? 



34 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

His 3d voyage. Voyage of JJe fSoto. First attempt to settle in the U. S. 

Montreal. As he passed down the river, he stopped at 
the Isle of Orleans, where he erected a fort and spent the 
winter. To the surrounding country, Avhich is now called 
Canada, he gave the name of New France, in honor of the 
government under whose patronage he sailed. He re- 
turned to France early in the following spring. 

In 1540, he made another voyage, and erected a fort at 
a place now called Quebec. The next year, on hi? 
return to France, he met Francis de la Roque, governor 
of Canada, under whose patronage he had sailed, and who 
was bringing over two hundred men, with supplies, to re- 
cruit the colony. Discouraged by the severity of the win- 
ter, and the unpropitious circumstances of the colonists. 
Sir Francis returned with them in 1542. No additional 
attempts were made to settle Canada for nearly fifty years. 

In 1539, a Spanish expedition, under Ferdinand de 
Soto, sailed from Cuba to Florida in quest of gold. 
Thence he penetrated in a north-western direction into the 
interior of the country, crossed the Allegany mountains, 
and, in the spring of 1541, discovered the Mississippi river, 
to which he gave the name Rio Grande. He continued 
his search v/estward to Red river, where he died in the 
spring of 1542. After his death this expedition returned 
to Cuba. 

The Spanish had already commenced several settle- 
ments in South America; but none had yet been com- 
menced within the territory of the United States. The 
bloody persecution of the protestants in France induced 
them to form the design of planting a colony in America. 
Liberty to settle such a colony was granted by Charles 
IX. in answer to the petition of Jasper Coligni, who sent 

What plaices did he discover ? (1) Where are they ? 

What did he call the country about the St. Lawrence ? 

Vv^hen did he make a third voyage ? 

Where did he build a fort ? 

Whom did he meet on his return ? 

Why did Sir Francis return ? When ? 

Who sailed in 1539 ? In search of what ? 

Where did he travel ? Was he successful ? 

When did be die? What became of his expedition? 

What made the French protestants think of settling- in America? 

Who petitio-icd for ihe right ? Was it jiranted? Hy whom? 



PERIOD OF DISCOVERIES. 35 



Contention about Carolina. Expeditions of Gilbert. 

out two ships in 1562, under the command of John Ri- 
bault. He visited St. Mary's river, and, after fixing on a 
proper place for a settlement, erected a fort and left a 
small company of his men under the command of Captain 
Albert, whose undue severity soon rendered him so un- 
popular that his subjects rebelled and slew him. Reduced 
almost to a state of starvation, many of the colonists per- 
ished, and the rest were taken on board a British vessel 
and carried to England. 

After two years another fort was erected on the same 
spot by Laudonnier, to which, in honor of Charles IX., 
king of France, he gave the name of Carolina. In 
1565, Ribault arrived as governor of the colony. He, wdth 
all his subjects, except a few who returned to France, was 
destroyed by the Spanish under Melendes, who erected 
forts and left a few colonists. 

In 1568, a party of French, to revenge the insult, took 
the forts and put most of the inhabitants to the sword. 
The reader can hardly fail to notice the folly of these con- 
tentions about a little territory, when a whole continent 
lay waste before the contending parties, and when, by 
their mutual aid, they might have been a security to each 
other. But such is man, when his heart is not controlled 
by the influence of the gospel. 

The next attempt to commence a settlement was made 
by Sir Humphrey Gilbert, who, in 1578, obtained a patent 
from Elizabeth, queen of England, granting the right to 
such countries in America as he might discover. His first 
voyage was unsuccessful; but his second, in 1583, though 
very disastrous, enabled him to reach Newfoundland, of 

Who conducted the expedition ? 

( 1 ) Where did he land ? Who commanded the colony ? 

Why was he unpopular ? What became of ihe colonists ? 

Who attempted to plant a second colony ? 

What did he call the place ? 

Who afterwards became governor ? When ? 

What became of the colony ? 

When did the French retake the place ? 

What reflection naturally arises from this contention? 

Who obtained a patent in 1578 ? 

Giving him what privileges ? 

Fate of his first expedition ? 



36 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Raleigh's first expedilion. His colonies. 

which he took possession in the name of his sovereign. 
But the colony perished on their return in 1584. 

The calamities with which he was afflicted did not dis- 
courage the adventurous spirit of his brother-in-law, Sir 
Walter Raleigh. He fitted out an expedition under the 
command of Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlow, v/ho 
sailed on the 27th of April, 1584, and who returned after 
a short residence at Roanoke, and gave such a glowing 
description of the beauty and excellence of the country 
as to induce Elizabeth to call it Virginia, in honor of her- 
self, a virgin queen. 

In 1585, Raleigh fitted out another expedition under 
the command of Sir Richard Granville. This colony was 
left on the island of Roanoke under the direction of Cap- 
tain Lane. In their search after the precious metals, they 
neglected the cultivation of the soil, and, as a natural con- 
sequence, suffered extremely from hunger. In the midst 
of their hardships, during the following year. Sir Francis 
Drake arrived from the West Indies, and carried them 
back to England. 

Soon after their departure, two vessels in quick succes- 
sion arrived with supplies. Of the latter Granville had 
command, who, searching in vain for the colonists, left 
fifteen of his men to keep possession of the island and re- 
turned. Subsequent visitants could gain no information 
respecting the fate of these men, from which it is probable 
that they dispersed among the natives or were killed. A 
third colony, consisting of one hundred and fifty men, was 
sent out in 1587, in charge of Captain White. They arrived 



Of the second ? His relation to Raleigh ? 

Under whom did the first colony of the latter sail ? When ? 

Where did they land ? (1) Where is it ? 

What description did they give of the country on their return ( 

Why called Virginia ? 

Who commanded Raleigh's second expedition ? 

In whose charge was the first colony left? 

The cause of their suffering ? Their fate ? 

What arrived soon after their departure ? 

Who commanded the second expedition ? 

What probably became of the men he left ? 

When did he send out a third colony ? 

Of how many did it consist ? Under whose charge ? 



PERIOD OF DISCOVERIES. 37 

"Saie of his patent. Gosuolil. Grants— to I)e Monts— to the Londnn Comp. 



at Roanoke in the month of July. Their commander soon 
returned to England to obtain provisions, where he was 
detained longer than he expected, and on his voyage to the 
colonists his vessels were plundered by the French and he 
was compelled to return to England. Hence it is proba- 
ble that the settlers suffered extremely, but whether they 
were finally destroyed by the natives or perished by fam- 
ine or disease, is uncertain. 

Discouraged by these unsuccessful attempts, Raleigh 
sold his right of property in the country, in 1596, to the 
London Company. This association of gentlemen carried 
on an inconsiderable trade with the natives, but did not 
make any further efforts to settle the country for nearly 
twenty years. 

In 1602, a small number of men, under the command 
of Bartholomew Gosnold, sailed from Falmouth, in Eng- 
land, and landed at the place which is now called Cape 
Cod. He touched at Martha's Vineyard and Ehzabeth Is- 
land. On the latter, he determined to make a settlement, 
but, in consequence of the discontent of his men, abandoned 
it and returned to England. 

During the next year, the king of France granted the 
country between forty and forty-six degrees north latitude 
to Sieuer de Monts, giving him the entire jurisdiction 
over it. De Monts sailed from France in 1604, and vis- 
ited the Bay of Fundy, and discovered the rivers St. 
John and St. Croix. He commenced a settlement at Port 
Royal, in Nova Scotia, and returned to France. 

James I., who succeeded to the throne of England on 
the death of Elizabeth, granted to the London Company, in 
1606, the lands lying between the thirty-fourth and forty- 

When did they arrive ? 
Why did he soon return to England? 

Why did he not return to the colony ? What became of it ? 
How did Raleigh dispose of his right ? When ? 
In what year did Gosnold sail ? From what place ? 
To what ? (1) Where are they ? 
Why did he not plant a colony ? 

What patent did the king of France grant in 1603 ? To whom ? 
When did De Monts sail ? To what place ? 
Where did he commence a settlement ? 
What territory did James I. grant to the London Company? 
4 



SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Grant to the Plymouth Company. 



first degrees of latitude. To the Plymouth Company he 
granted the country from the thirty-eighth to the forty- 
fifth degrees of latitude, including a part of the territory 
granted by the king of France to De Monts ; thus laying 
the foundation for subsequent disagreement between the 
two nations. 



What to the Plymouth Company ? 



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PERIOD OF DISCOVERIES. 39 



GEOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONS. 

CHAPTER I. 

(1) In what part of Italy is Genoa 1 With what historical event- 
is this place mentioned ? [This question is to be repeated after eacli 
proper name printed in Italics.] Which way from Rome ? From 
Paris ? From Madrid ? Where is Granada 1 Which way from 
Tiladrid ? From Genoa ? Where is Falos 1 Which Vv'ay from 
Granada? From Genoa? Where are the Canary islands ; 
Y/hich way from Palos ? In what direction did Columbus sail r 
Yv^here are the Bahama islands ? Which one of these is partic- 
ularly mentioned in the History ? How is it situated- in respect 
to the rest ? Which way is St. Salvador from the Canaries ;' 
FroiTi Cuba? From Hispaniola? From the United States? 
From South America ? Where is Cadiz ? Which way from Pa- 
los ? Where is Jamaica ? Which way from Hispaniola ? Yf here 
is Bristol ? Y/hich way from Palos ? From Newfoundland 1 
From Florida 1 From Trinidad 1 From the river Orinoco 1 Froin 
Forlo Bella .? From the Bay of Honduras ? Y^here is Valludolid ? 
Where is Cape Bonavista? The Gulf of St. Latvrence? Which 
way is the former from the latter ? Where is Labrador ? In v. hat 
direction do the Allegany mountains run ? Which way do ihey lie 
from the Mississippi 1 Which way is the latter from B,ed river ? 
AVhere is iS7. Mary^s river ? Which way from EoanoTce ? 

[Let the pupil trace on the map and mention the places Vv'hich 
Columbus visited in his first voyage — In the second — The third — 
The fourth. Do the same in reference to the voyage of the Cabots 
— of Ojeda and Americus Vespucius — of Verrazano — of Cartier— 
of De Soto— of Ribault— of Gilbert— of Raleigh and of Gosnoid.] 



40 SCHOOL HISTORF. 

Questions. 



CHRONOLOGICAL QUESTIONS. 

CHAPTER L 

[These questions are designed partly for a review of the chapter, 
and partly for associating the events in their proper order upon 
the chronological chart. Wherever a dash occurs this question is 
to be repeated, What do you recollect about this event ? It is impor- 
tant the teacher should follow this direction; otherwise one of the 
principal objects of these questions will be lost.] 

What is the Period called which this chapter embraces ? (See 
Chart.) How many years does it include ? How many divisions 
of the line ? With what event does it begin I To what does it 
extend ? In what year did the first event take place ? On what 
month from January? On what day? — What events occurred 
just before this ? What event is chronologized next after this i 
How many years does one division of the line represent ? How 
much time does one thirteenth of a division represent ? How long 
was the second voyage of Columbus after his first ? When did he 
commence his second voyage ? — Who made the next discoveries ? 
When? How long after Columbus's first voyage? When did Co- 
lumbus commence his third vo5'age ? How long was this after his 
first ? After his second ? — What voyage the next year ? — When 
did Columbus sail on his fourth voyage ? — Where did he die ? — 
How long was this after his first voyage ? His second ? His 
third ? His fourth? How far from the beginning of the line is it 
chronologized ? What is the next event ? What its date ? — When 
Avas the voyage of Cartier ? How far from the beginning of the 
line is the latter chronologized ? How many years between it and 
1492 ? — yrhen did De Soto sail? — How long after it was the first 
Frencli colony sent to America ? In what year v/as the latter ? 
Plow far from the end of the line is this chronologized ? — What is 
the next event ? Its date ? On what division of the line is it ? — 
Wliat event the next year? — How long was this before the close of 
this period ;' What subsequent events are mentioned in this chap- 
ter? How many divisions in the line, on which the dates in this 
period are chronologized ? Give, in their order, the dates of the 
events chronologized in the first division ? In the second ? In the 
third ? In the fourlh ? In the fifth ? In the sixth ? In the sev- 
enth ? In the eighth? ia the ninth? Which has tli? greatest 
number ? Which liave Jione ? 



SETTLEMENTS. 41 



Settlement of Jamestowna. Captain Smith. 



CHAPTER II 

Embracing 36 years; from the first permanent settlement in the 
United States, 1607, to the union of the New England colonies, 
1643. 

PERIOD OF SETTLEMENTS. 

The grants made by the king of England to the Lon- 
don and Plymouth Companies, prepared the way for per- 
manent settlements, from which important advantages 
were expected. 

In 1607, the Plymouth Company sent out Captain New- 
port v/ith three ships and 105 men, who having discovered 
Cape Henry, effected a settlement near it, to which, in 
honor of their sovereign, they gave the name of James- 
town. This was the first permanent settlement within 
the United States. At one time, however, circumstances 
were such as to make it desirable for the colonists to 
return. They suffered much from famine, and the at- 
tacks of the surrounding Indians. These were not pow- 
erful, yet the settlers were too weak to repel, successfully, 
their petty hostilities. Scarcity of provisions exposed them 
to greater dangers from their savage neighbors. The sup- 
plies they brought with them were soon nearly exhausted. 
The scanty allowance to which they were reduced, as well 
as the influence of the climate, to which they w«re not 
habituated, occasioned disease, and increased its malignity, 
so that death continually diminished their number. In 
this emergency, Captain John Smith, a man distinguished 
fv>r talents and energy among the early settlers, came 

When did the Plymouth Company send out their first expedition ? 
Of how many ships, and how many men, did it consist ? 
Under whose command ? What discovery did he make ? 
(2) Where is Cape Henry? What settlement did he commence ? 
With what success ? (2) V/here is Jamestown ? 
To what sufferings were the settlers exposed ? 
Who came forward at this time to their relief? 
4* 



42 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Cessation of hostilities. Smitli's capture and deliverance. 



forward to their relief. The mahce of his enemies had 
expelled him from the colonial council soon after his ar- 
rival in the country. 

But such were his enterprise, talents, and virtue, that 
he was able to disprove the charges brought against him. 
Soon being invited to take an important part in the ad- 
ministration of government, he fortified Jamestown against 
the attacks of the savages, and marched forth in quest of 
those tribes which had most annoyed the settlers. Partly 
by force of arms, and partly by address and kindness, he 
caused a cessation of hostilities, and procured a supply of 
provisions, of which the coloiriy were in the greatest need. 

Afterwards, however, in one of his excursions, he was 
surprised by a large number of Indians, and in endeavor- 
ing to make his escape, sunk to his neck in the mire of a 
swamp, and was taken prisoner. Though fully aware of 
the dreadful fate that awaited him, he did not lose his pres- 
ence of mind. Taking from his pocket a mariner's com- 
pass, and amusing his captors with an account of its virtues, 
he excited in their minds the greatest wonder and aston- 
ishment. They conducted him to Powhattan, the most con- 
siderable chief in that part of Virginia, who, according to 
Indian customs, passed upon him a sentence of death. 
He arrived at the place of execution, and his head was 
laid upon the stones to receive the fatal blov/ ; but Poca- 
hontas, daughter of Powhattan, sprang from the savage 
crowd, and, by her earnest entreaties, rescued him from 
death. She soon procured his liberty, and afterwards 
sent him, from time to time, seasonable provisions. He ar- 
rived safely at Jamestown, after a captivity of seven weeks. 
On his arrival he found but thirty-eight persons within 
the w^alls. They were filled with the greatest despon- 
dency, and were desirous of leaving a country so inhos- 
pitable. With difficulty he induced them to remain 

What was his character ? 

What treatment had he previously received from his brethren ? 

What measures did Smith take for the security of the settlement? 

What for the supply of their necessities ? 

What misfortune did he experience at this time ? 

By whom was he rescued ? How ? 

After how long an absence from Jamestown ? 

What was the condition of the colonv on his return ? 



SETTLEMENTS. 43 



Futile search for gold. Distress. Smith's tour. Champlain. 

another year. Their anxiety and distress were soon re- 
lieved by the arrival of supplies and one hundred new 
settlers from England. This, however, was only a tempo- 
rary relief. Their attention, diverted from the means 
of supporting themselves, was directed to a shining min- 
eral, which they discovered in a small stream near their 
settlement, and which they vainly supposed to be gold. 

Of this they collected and sent large quantities to their 
native country. It proved to be micaceous sand. But 
before a fresh supply of provisions could be sent from 
England, or could be derived from the avails of their 
own industry, they were again reduced, by their priva- 
tion of the comforts and necessities of life, to a state of 
extreme distress. So severely is man often rebuked, when 
he diverts his attention from the natural currents of indus- 
try and wealth, and seeks for sudden affluence from the 
artificial channels of speculation and unlawful gain. 

In 1608, Captain Smith explored the country bordering 
on the Chesapeake bay, and secured some provisions for 
the suffering colonists. By the fortitude which he dis- 
played in these tours, he obtained the confidence of the 
settlers ; became president of their council, and, by com- 
bining in his administration lenity and firmness, (qualities 
than which no other are more important to the success of 
any government,) he secured their cheerful obedience. 

During the sam.e year, Samuel de Champlain conducted 
a colony to Canada, and founded Quebec. The next year 
he formed an alliance with the neighboring Indians, in 
order to secure their friendship, and accompanied them in an 
expedition against the Iroquois. On his march he discov- 
ered the lake which bears his name, and proceeded south 



How much longer did he induce them to remain ? 

What soon a,rrived from England? 

To what was their attention directed ? With what success ? 

Are men often disappointed in a similar manner ? 

Should we be satisfied 7vith the ear7ii?jgs of honest indnstry ? 

Who explored the country about Chesapeake bay ? 

When 7 With \vhat success ? 

What the character of his government ? 

W^ho founded Quebsc? When? 

Against whom did he engage in war ? Why ? 

What X)l?.2e di:l he discover and name ? 



44 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Hudson. New Char. Lord Delaware & his expedi. Contention of the colonists. 

to Ticonderoga, where he gained a decisive victory over 
his enemies. 

In 1609, Henry Hudson discovered the river which 
bears his name. He was by birth an Englishman ; but 
was at that time emplo^^ed by the Dutch East India Com- 
pany. Hence the right to the territory he discovered was 
claimed both by England and Holland. This claim laid 
the foundation for a long and bloody contention between 
the two nations. 

While these events were taking place in the north, 
the prospects of the colony at Jamestown were revived 
by a new charter, which was granted in 1609, confer- 
ring more distinguished privileges. It increased the 
width of their territory, and extended it from ocean to 
ocean. The right of governing the colony, which the king 
had hitherto exercised, was now intrusted to a board, 
chosen by the proprietors. The members of this board, in- 
habitants of the British metropolis, chose a governor, to re- 
side in the colony and execute their laws. 

Thomas West, or, as he is generally styled. Lord Dela- 
ware, who was elected governor under this new charter, 
being, at first, unable to appear personally in the colony 
and discharge the duties of his office, delegated his power 
to Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Summers. These 
gentlemen immediately embarked with five hundred settlers 
in nine ships. A violent hurricane separated from the 
rest the vessel in which these officers sailed, and it was 
driven south to the Bermudas. The others arrived safely 
at Jamestown. But they were not of a character suited 
to improve the condition of the previous colonists. Aui- 
bitious of power, they at once claimed and attempted to 
exercise the right of governing the colony under the late 
charter. But the previous settlers could not submit to be 
governed by men who could present no other evidence of 

Where did he obtain a victory? Who discovered Hudson river ? 
By what two powers was it claimed ? Why ? 
When was a new charter granted? 

What privileges did it confer ? Who was appointed governor ? 
What detained him ? Whom did he delegate ? 
Tn how many ships and with how many men did they sail ? 
Their fate ? Character and conduct of those who reached the 

colony? How did the previous coloni:>ts endure X)\'<'^ ? 



SETTLEMENTS. 45 



Smith's plan. His departure. State of the colony. Sir Thomas Dale. 

their right than their own conflicting testimony. The 
misery, consequent on their resistance of each other's au- 
thority, can be more readily conceived than described. 

The ingenuity of Smitii soon devised a plan, which 
seemed well adapted to restore order and prosperity. Un- 
der the old charter he claimed the right to govern the col- 
ony till others, duly appointed by the company, under the 
new charter, should appear and present proper testimo- 
nials. But the vigor of this hero was too far reduced bj' 
a wound he had received from the accidental explosion of 
a quantity of gunpowder, to allow him to execute his plan. 
He was soon obliged to return to England. 

After his departure the colonists were again reduced to 
a state of such extreme distress that only sixty out of 
more than five hundred remained alive after the expiration 
of six months; and even these would have perished, if 
the hand of a superintending Providence had not brought 
them relief. In 1610, Summers and Gales, with their 
crew, who had been wrecked on the Bermuda islands, aiid 
who had there constructed tv7o fragile barks, appeared and 
joined the colony. The assistance which the colonists 
thus received, while it saved them from impending ruin, 
did not afford them permanent relief. When their store 
of provisions was almost exhausted, they embarked in 
search of fresh supplies. Before they reached the ocean, 
their fears were changed to exultation in view of Lord 
Delaware, advancing with a number of new settlers and 
all things requisite for the support and prosperity of the 
colony. 

Under the mild government of this noble lord, the col- 
ony enjoyed peace and prosperity. But his declining 
health soon compelling him to return to England, he was 
succeeded, in May, 1611, by Sir Thomas Dale, whose ad- 
ministration was equally well adapted to promote the hap- 
piness of the colony. In 1613, he concluded a treaty of 
amity with the Povvhattans, one of the most powerful of 
the neighboring tribes of Indians. 

Conduct of Smith ? Why did he not execute his plan ? 

State of the colony afler his departure ? How were they relieved ? 

How Vv^ere they relieved a second time 1 Why did Lord Delaware 

return to England ^ Who suceepded him ? When ? 
Character of his government ? What trca.ty did he make ? 
With whom? When? 



46 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Marriage of Kolfe and Pocahonlas. Death of the latter. Properly in land. 

This year is memorable, in the history of Virginia, for 
the marriage of Rolfe, a young man of considerable rank 
in the colony, to Pocahontas, daughter of Powhattan, who 
had saved the life of Smith. This connection was ap- 
proved by governor Dale, as favorable to the colony ; and 
it seems to have been by no means displeasing to Powhat- 
tan, the father of the young princess. After their marriage, 
they visited England, where they were treated with every 
mark of respect due to her rank. She became interested 
in the Christian religion, and was baptized. 

She died soon after their return from England, leaving 
one son, from whom some of the first families in Virginia 
liave descended. It is proper here to add, that the expecta- 
tions of the colonists from this marriage were not disap- 
pointed ; for it secured a friendly and permanent alliance 
between them and many of the neighboring tribes. 

The right of individual property in land had not liitherto 
been recognised by the settlers. Indeed, King James, in his 
address to them on their departure from England, advised 
them to store their goods in a common treasury, from which 
each individual and family might draw whatever was 
requisite for their support. However convenient or neces- 
sary such a regulation may have been at first, it was found, 
as the colony increased, to paralyze exertion and discour- 
age industry. To remove this evil, they made a division 
of their land into small lots, one of which w^as assigned to 
each individual, to whom alone was conceded the right of 
possession, cultivation and transfer. From this time they 
began the cultivation of tobacco, which soon became their 
principal article of trade. 

At this interesting point, we must take a momentary 
leave of this colony in order to consider the commencement 
of another, still further north. We have already noticed 
the discover)'' of Hudson river and Manhattan island, now 

Relate what you recollect about the marriage of Rolfe and Poca- 
hontas. 
In what did she become inlerested ? 

Has not every one as much reason to he interested in that as she had ? 
Who are among her descendants ? 
Why did they not, at first, ])old property in real estate ? 
What finally induced them to this? 
What did they principally cultivate? 



SETTLEMENTS. 47 

Dutch seulementa. Early efforts of the Plymouth Company. 

New York. In 1613, the Dutch, the original discoverers, 
erected Fort Orange, which subsequently received the 
name of Albany. They also built a few trading houses on 
the island at the mouth of the river. The inhabitants of these 
houses were compelled to surrender to the English under 
Captain Argal, who visited them on his return from the cap- 
ture of the French settlement at Nova Scotia. The terri- 
tory of both these colonies was claimed by the Plymouth 
Company, as it was included in their grant from King 
James. 

But, in 1614, the Dutch government granted to their East 
India Company the exclusive right to the territory about 
the Hudson. They sent out a reinforcement, which ena- 
bled the Dutch settlers to reject the government of England 
and assert the rights of their native country. They erected 
a fort on the south end of the island, to which they gave 
the name of Amsterdam. Their territory, which they 
continued to possess for many years without any interfe- 
rence from the English, they called the New Netherlands. 

The London Company, within whose territory the south- 
ern Dutch settlement was included, was too much occupied 
with efforts to promote the peace and prosperity of their 
own colony to attempt the subjugation of others, and it 
could not be undertaken by the Plymouth Company, whose 
attention was directed to the foundation of another English 
colony. The latter sent out an expedition in 1606 to ex- 
plore their territory. This was unsuccessful. But another, 
the next year, returned with such flattering accounts of the 
country, as induced them immediately to send over a colony 
of forty-five men, who landed near the mouth of the river 
Kennebec. Discouraged by the hardships they endured, 
they soon returned ; and for many years no further attempts 

When did the Dutch first commence a settlement ? "Where ? 

What other began about the same time ? 

Who subjected these to the English ? 

What other place did he subject about the same time ? 

On what was his right founded ? 

When did they throw off the English yoke ? 

Why did each of the companies cease for a time their hostilities 

with theDutch? 
When did the Plymouth Company send out their first expedition 

to explore their territory ? 
Its success ? When their second ? Its success ? 



'18 SCHOOL HISTOBY. 



Smith's tour. Governors of Virginia. Purchase of wives. Virginia assembly, 

were made to establish a colony ; and the company did 
nothing more than to send over a few vessels to engage 
in the fisheries at Cape Cod and to carry on an inconsider- 
able trade with the natives. 

In 1614, Smith, who had distinguished himself in the 
early settlement of Jamestown, explored the coast from 
Penobscot river to Cape Cod, and on his return to England 
gave Charles, the prince of Wales, such di glowing account 
of the beauty and excellence of the country that he, in the 
ardor of his admiration, declared it should be called New 
England, a name which soon superseded that of North 
Virginia, by which it had been previously known. 

Between this period and the establishment of a colony 
on this newly explored territory, several events, deserving 
a passing notice, took place in the settlement at Jamestown. 

In 1617, Captain Argal was appointed governor of Vir- 
ginia ; but the appointment being highly displeasing to the 
colony on account of his severity, he was recalled, and his 
place supplied, greatly to the benefit of the settlers, by Sir 
George Yeardly, a man of a most excellent character. 

Most of the settlers were young unmarried men. As 
soon as they were prepared to support famihes, a very 
serious difficulty was experienced in regard to procuring 
wives. A request was therefore made, that the company 
would promote the emigration of unmarried females. In 
this way the planters were enabled to obtain wives, each 
one paying to the company one hundred or one hundred 
and fifty pounds of tobacco for his wife. 

In 1619, the governor called the first legislative as- 
sembly ever held in Virginia, and thus raised the colonists, 
in some sense, to the condition of freemen. Eleven cor- 

In what did the company afterwards engage ? 

When did Smith begin his tour ? 

What part of the coast did he explore ? 

What did he do on his return to England ? 

What name was given to the coast explored ? By whom ? 

Why ? Who was the first governor of Virginia ? 

When appointed ? What was his character ? 

What the feelings of the colony in relation to him ? 

What was the result ? Who succeeded him ? 

What was the character of Yeardly and of his administration? 

What important event took place in the colony in 1619? 



SETTLEMENTS. 49 



SlaV^es. Religion of Virginia colony. Nonconformista. 

porations or settlements were represented by delegates, who 
assembled at Jamestown. The assembly regulated the 
affairs of the colony, and enacted wholesome laws. 

During the session of this assembly an event occurred, 
the bearing of which, on the whole country, has been pow- 
erful and lasting, A Dutch ship arrived with a cargo of 
slaves from Africa. These were readily purchased to labor 
on the plantations. From this small beginning, originated 
the system of American slavery, the evils of which are so 
widely felt, and so universally acknowledged. 

The Virginia colonists were, in their religious opinions, 
Episcopalians. Very early provisions were made for the 
support of the ministry, and regular religious worship. 
The salary of ministers and the fee for services at wed- 
dings and on other occasions,* were paid in tobacco, which 
seems to have been the principal article of commerce for a 
long period. 

Events had, for a considerable time, been in progress in 
Great Britain, which were laying the foundation of an- 
other important colony. The creed and practice of the 
English church were highly exceptionable in the opinion 
of many individuals in different parts of the nation. They 
could not conscientiously conform to the usages of the 
established church. Receiving the name Nonconformists, 
or Dissenters, they were bitterly persecuted and oppressed. 
Besides the trial of cruel mockings, they were watched by 
officers, frequently imprisoned; and often obliged to fly 
from their houses and means of subsistence, in order to 
escape other inflictions still more severe. Their number, 
instead of decreasing by such treatment, was greatly aug- 
mented. Finding it impossible to remain where they were, 



How were the people represented in this assembly ? 

What other event of interest occurred at this time in the colony ? 

What was the religion of the Virginia colony ? 

What provision did they make for the support of the clergy ? 

What appears to have been their principle article of commerce for 

a long period ? 
What events of magnitude were taking place in England ? 
What treatment did dissenters experience from the established 

church ? 
What were their feelings ? 
What effect had this upon their numbers ? 



60 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

The Puritans. 

many determined to seek, in the low countries of Germany, 
that religious freedom which was denied them at home. 
But even this privilege v/as prohibited. Being discovered by 
the Oificers to be on the point of embarking for another 
country, they were dragged before the magistrates, and 
imprisoned. The greater part were soon released and 
sent back to the places from which they came ; but the 
principal characters were kept in confinement or bound 
over to the next court. Although distressed, they still 
persevered in their determination to emigrate. In 1608, a 
number of these, together with others of the same spirit, had 
agreed with a Dutch captain to carry them to Holland. 
After great suffering and peril, they arrived at Amster- 
dam. But even here, new trials awaited them. They 
could, indeed, worship God without being molested ; but 
the influence of their godly instruction and example was 
greatly weakened on the minds and hearts o{ iheii children, 
by the irreligion and vice with which they were surrounded. 
There was, also, great danger of disagreement among 
themselves ; for the Rev. John Smith, and his church, 
who had been their particular friends in England, had 
recently embraced sentiments which appeared to them lax 
and dangerous. As religion was with them, as it should be 
with every one, the first and principal object, they wished 
to be separated and to have their children separated from 
so strong a temptation to embrace what they thought reli- 
gious error. 

They therefore determined to change again their place 
of residence, and remove to Leyden ; here they formed a 
church under the pastoral care of Mr. John Robinson. As 
they advocated and desired a pure worship, they received 
the name of Puritans ; to which, though given in derision, 

What determination did they form ? 

Were they able to carry their determination into effect ? "Why ? 

What was done with the greater part ? What with the rest ? 

Did they at length effect an embarkation ? When ? How ? 

Where did they go? What were their circumstances there ? 

Why were they dissatisfied? 

What trial did they experience soon after their arrival? 

Why did this circumstance greatly distress them? 

What resolution did they form ? Where did they next go ? 

(1) Where is this ? Who became their pastor ? 

What name did they receive at this time ? Why ? 



SETTLEMENTS. 



Their embarkation and voyare. Arrival. 

they did Dot object. Becoming dissatisfied with their con- 
dition in Holland, and fearing still that their children would 
be corrupted in faith and practice, they turned their 
attention to the new world, and, after much prayer and 
deliberation, determined to emigrate thither. For this nuv- 
pose, they obtained from James I. of England the promise 
that they should enjoy the free exercise of their religious 
opinions in America. They then procured of the Virginia 
Company a tract of land within its charter, and havin_3' 
made the requisite preparations for the voyage, a sraaii 
company of one hundred and twenty persons sailed froni 
Plymouth, September the 6th, 1620, for America, to com- 
mence a settlement and prepare for their brethren, who 
v/ere expected soon to follow them. Several unexpected 
difficulties arose, which occasioned them much trouble. 
The vessels which had been engaged were small, and one 
of them, called the Speedv/ell, proved unfit for the voyage, 
and was abandoned. The}^ were, therefore, obliged to 
proceed on their long and perilous voyage in a single ship, 
called the May-flower, in which v^-ere crowded 101 pas- 
sengers and all their goods. Being delayed by unexpected 
hinderances, they did not leave Europe till very late in the 
season. 

The place at which they designed to commence a set- 
tlement, was in the vicinity of Hudson river. But the 
captain, having been bribed, as it is said, not to disturb the 
Dutch settlers at that place, conducted them further north. 
At length, on the 9th of November, they descried the shore 
of Cape Cod. Here, in consequence of bad weather and 
sickness, they were obliged to stop, although beyond the 



Did they object to it ? 

What ground of disquietude had they here ? 

What new determination did they form in consequence of it ? 

What was the first measure adopted by them in relation to their 

proposed plan ? 
What v/as the second ? How many embarked ? 
For what place ? From what ? " Did they all go ? 
What were those who remained behind to do ? 
What is said of one of the ships which they had engaged ? 
What was the consequence ? 

At what place did they design to land ? Did they land there ? 
Why ? Vv^hat land did they discover ? When ? (2) Where is it ? 



52 SCHOOL HISTOKY 



Government. Settlement. Suffering. 

territory of the company from whom they had derived their 
right. On the 11th of November, as their vessel lay at 
anchor in Cape Cod harbor, they formed a plan of govern- 
ment, by which they pledged themselves to remain in tlie 
country, to abide by the constitution, to be obedient to all 
the laws enacted by a majority of the body, and to consider 
the king of Great Britain their lawful sovereign. Having 
appointed John Carver governor, and agreed on the mode 
of managing colonial affairs, they dispatched a party to 
find a suitable site for a settlement. The coast was gen- 
erally barren, and it required several days for them to de- 
cide where to erect their habitations. At length they 
accomplished their object, and, on the 22d of December, 
1620, landed at a place called New Plymouth. Th.ey 
erected fifteen rude cabins, one for each of their families. 

The winter set in early, and was so unusually severe, as 
to render it impossible to provide warm and comfortable 
dwellings. Hence they were necessarily exposed to great 
sufferings. An extensive mortality had recently prevailed 
among the natives in the vicinity, by which the neighbor- 
ing country was almost deprived of inhabitants. This was 
favorable to the Pilgrims, yet their trials were many and 
severe. So much of their provisions were consumed on 
the voyage, that they were threatened by famine. Sick- 
ness paralyzed their efforts, and death entered their habita- 
tions. For four or five months, the attention of those able 
to labor, was divided between nursing the sick, and protect- 
ing themselves from the rigors of a cold winter. To us, at 

Was this p]ace within the territory of the company from whom 

they had derived their right ? 
What did they do previous to leaving the ship? 
Do you think this mas a wise and judicious course ? 
What did they do next ? 

How many days were employed for this purpose ? 
What spot did they at length select ? 

What did they call it ? " When did they land ? (See Chart.) 
Were they able to erect comfortable dwellings ? Why not ? 
[nto how many families was the colony divided ? 
What event had taken place among the Indians previous to their 

landing, which promoted their safety? 
By whom had this region been peopled three years previous ? 
What tended greatly to augment the sufferings of the Pilgrims ? 
What effect had these sufferings upon the colony ? 



SETTLEMENTS. S8 



Koriitude. Mas«asoil. Providential preservation. Grant of New England. 

this distant period, it is highly interesting to contemplate 
their character xsnder such miseries; yet it is difficult, if 
not impossible, to form any just idea of their sufferings. 

The consolations of religion enabled them to meet their 
accumulated trials without a murmur. They had come 
with minds prepared to encounter hardships and sufferings, 
if they could but prepare the way for others, and leave 
their surviving children and friends in the enjoyment of 
LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE, and the blessings of the gospel. 
They came with the spirit of martyrs to freedom and to 
truth. Hence it was to be expected they would not, for a 
moment, abandon their purpose. Within the first six 
months, they were called to bury half their number. 
Among others, they followed Carver, their governor, to the 
grave. He was a man of uncommon w^orth, and his loss 
was most deeply deplored, 

Ki this time of deep distress, Massasoit, the benevolent 
sachem of a neighboring tribe of Indians, entered into a 
voluntary treaty of friendship with them. This he faith- 
fully ,maiDtained during his life. 

They could not fail, in this event, to recognise the kind- 
ness of Providence, as they were without any adequate 
means of defence, and might all have been cut off ia an 
hour. They were enabled to obtain from Massasoit a par- 
tial supply of corn, notwithstanding which, they are said to 
have subsisted, days and weeks, on shell-fish and wild nuts, 
before they could procure for themselves, or obtain from 
England, an adequate supply of food. 

The same month in which the Puritans arrived on the 
American coast, James I. granted a charter to the duke of 

What spirit did the Puritans evince under their accumulated trials ? 
Why ? What person of distinction died in the colony at this time ? 
AVhat was his character ? 
What sachem exhibited a benevolent spirit towards the colonists in 

their distresses ? 
What did he do ? Did he maintain it ? 
Was this providential event of importance to the prosperity of the 

colony ? 
What did they obtain from Massasoit ? 
CJpon what are the Puritans said to have subsisted for several days, 

notwithstanding their supply from Massasoit? 
When was a charter granted to the duke of Lenox and others ? 
By whom ? 

5* 



54 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Check on colonization. Patent. Constitution of Virginia. 

Lenox, the marquis of Buckingham and others, under the 
title of the Grand Council of Plymouth, for planting and 
governing New England. This patent conferred on them 
the right to the land between the fortieth and forty-eighth 
degrees of north latitude, extending from sea to sea. That 
part of the territory previously called North Virginia now 
received the name of New England a second time, by 
royal authority. 

From this patent originated all the subsequent grants of 
lands on which the New England colonies were settled. 
Although the same rights and privileges had been confer- 
red on the Council of Plymouth, yet they had failed to 
devise and execute plans for colonization. 

The Pilgrims, before they left the mother country, joined 
an association, to w^hich they were to send a part of their 
profits from trade. This compact, however, was dissolved 
after seven j^ears, and, by a patent from the Council of 
Plymouth, in 1621, the colonists became the sole proprie- 
tors of the land on which they had settled. 

In 1621, the colony of Virginia received the accession 
of seven hundred, with whom Sir Francis Wyat arrived as 
governor, bringing from England a more perfect constitu- 
tion. The legislative power was vested in the general 
assembly, but to the governor was reserved a negative on 
its proceedings. No laws, however, could be enforced until 
they had received the approbation of the company in Eng- 
land. Neither were the laws of the company in England 
binding on the settlers without the consent of their assem- 

Under what title did they receive it ? 

What extent of territory did this charter cover ? (2) What states ? 

What name did the territory previously called North Virginia again 
receive by royal authority ? 

What was derived from this patent ? 

Was any thing eflfectual done by the Council of Plymouth for colo- 
nizing in North America ? 

What had the settlers done previous to their departure ? 

When did this connection cease ? 

When did they obtain a patent from the " Grand Council of Ply- 
mouth?" 

When did Sir Francis AVyat arrive as governor of the Virginia 
colony ? 

What did he bring with him ? 

What were some of the peculiar features of the new constitution ? 



SETTLEMENTS. 55 



Massacre. New Hampshire. Virginia governed by the crown. 

biy. They were thus rendered as secure as their circum- 
stances would allow. 

In 1622, but for the interposition of a kind Providence, the 
colony must have been entirel}^ destroyed. Powhattan, with 
whom they had lived in peace and security, died, and Avas 
succeeded by his son Opechancanough. He excited the 
Indians to massacre the colonists. The conspiracy had been 
four years in maturing, and was concerted with the utmost 
skill and secrecy. To each tribe was assigned its particu- 
lar station and the part it Vv'as to act. Accordingly, at dead 
of night on the 22d of March, 1622, the savages rushed 
from their concealment upon the unsuspecting settlers, and 
inhumanly butchered men, women and children. In a sin- 
gle hour, one fourth of the colonists perished. In this work 
of destruction the remainder v/ould have been involved, had 
not a pious Indian revealed the plot to one of the settlers 
the night before the dreadful massacre. By this disclosure, 
Jamestown and some of the neighboring settlements were 
saved. A bloody war ensued; but the colonists, by their 
perseverance and discipline, were enabled to repel the at- 
tacks of the savages with so much spirit, that they were 
repulsed and made fearful of renewing their hostilities for 
several years. 

In 1623, commenced the first settlements in New Hamp- 
shire, John Mason, Ferdinando Gorges and others, hav- 
ing obtained grants of land north of any that had been 
previously settled, sent a small colony from England. A 
part of this number landed at Little Harbor, on the west 
side of Piscataqua river near its mouth; the rest went 
higher up the river and settled at Cocheco, which was 
afterwards called Dover. 

About this period, a change took place in regard to the 
Virginia colony. In 1624, by order of the king, the Lon- 
don Company was dissolved, and its control over the settle- 
ment reverted to the crown. As a reason for this change, 

What severe trial did the colonists experience in 1622 ? 

How large a part of the colony were cut off ? 

By what interposition was Jamestown preserved ? 

VVhat immediately followed this attack of the natives ? 

What Avas the result ? 

When did settlements commence in New Hampshire ? (See Chart.) 

By whom ? At what places ? (2) Where are they ? 

AV'hat change in the Virginia colony? 



66 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Grant of Massach usetts Bay. Salem. 

King James assigned the stifTering of the colony and the 
strife of the members of the company with each other. He 
submitted the government of the colony to a council of 
twelve persons, until he could frame a more perfect 
system. He commenced the execution of his plan, but 
died before its completion. His son Charles I., who suc= 
ceeded him in 1625, pursued the same policy in regard to 
the colonists, depriving them almost entirely of any partici- 
pation in their own government. 

The peace of conscience and the religious liberty which 
the Puritans enjoyed at Plymouth, and the persecution and 
privation of religious privileges to which their brethren, 
the Nonconformists of England, were subjected, induced 
Mr. White, a dissenting minister of Dorchester in England, 
to form the design of founding a colony near his friends in 
America. Animated by him, a number of individuals, as 
early as 1627, purchased from the Plymouth Company the 
territory extending from three miles north of the Merri- 
mack to three miles south of Charles river, and from 
the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. This patent gave them 
the exclusive right to the soil, but it endowed them with 
no power of governing themselves. Hence, in 1629, they 
petitioned Charles for a charter confirming their right 
to their lands and delegating to them power to form a 
government. He granted their request ; and, having 
formed them into a corporation and appointed their first 
governor and his assistants, invested them with the right 
of electing their future rulers. 

In 1628, John Endicot, one of the purchasers of the 
territory from the Plymouth Company, sailed with one 
hundred planters for America. These landed at a place 
called by the natives Naumkeag, but by themselves Salem, 
on account of the asylum it afforded them from intolerance 
and oppression. 

"Who was the successor of James ? His conduct towards the colony? 
When did White and his friends purchase Massachusetts Bay ? 
What were the limits of their grant ? 

What right did it give them ? What privilege did it withhold ? 
When did they petition for a new charter ? Was it granted ? 
By whom ? How did it differ from the former ? 
When was Salem settled? (See Chart.) By whom? 
What was its Indian name ? Why was it called Salem ? 
How manv settlers carae over with Endicot ? 



SETTLEMENTS. 57 



Its church. Gharlesiown. Emigration. Boston. 

In the following year, the proprietors, having obtained 
their charter from the crown, fitted out five ships with three 
hundred passengers. When they arrived, they found the 
settlers who came over the previous ^^ear in a deplorable 
condition. Dissatisfied with the situation of the settlers at 
Salem, about one hundred of these nev*' adventurers re- 
moved to Charlestown and there commenced a settlement. 
Those who remained at Salem formed a church, on Inde- 
pendent and Calvinistic principles. They elected and or-^ 
dained a pastor, a teacher and an elder, and agreed that no 
one should be admitted to their communion wntliout satis- 
factory evidence of personal piety. 

This was certainly a commendable zeal for the institu- 
tions of the gospel ; but in the minds of some its merit Avas 
reduced by apparent intolerance on the part of these reli- 
gionists, similar to that from which thej^ had fled. Some, 
whose faith differed from their own, they banished from 
the colony, and treated others with still greater severity. 

While the intolerance of archbishop Laud oppressed the 
non-conformists and induced many to think of removing to 
America, they still felt reluctant to settle in a country in 
any degree under the control of a company in England. 
To remove this obstacle, the company consented that the 
exclusive right of governing the colony should be intrusted 
to such of its members as resided in America. 

This resolution so encouraged emigration, that, in 1G30, 
more than fifteen hundred persons arrived in Massachu- 
setts. Among these were some families distinguished for 
learning and wealth, who settled at Charlestown, and others 
at Dorchester, Boston, Roxbury and other places. By 

How many the next year ? 

How many of them settled at Charlestown ? Y^hj ? 

What did those who remained in Salem form ? 

On what principles ? How did they secure their officers ? 

How many had they ? What were they ? 

What did they consider an indispensable requisite for admission to 

the church ? 
What did they do with those who differed from them ? 
AVhat inclined others to think of removing to America ? 
Y/hy were they reluctant ? How was this obstacle removed ? 
How many came over in 1G30 ? What was their character ? 
Their circumstances ? Where did they settle ? 
(3, 5) How are these towns situated ? 



58 SCHOOI, HISTORY 



Charier. Church imem!)errf only, olficera. Half-way-covenant. 



their charter, they were to elect annually from their own 
number a governor, deputy governor and eighteen assis- 
tants, and to hold foar general courts for electing ofTicors. 
and enacting such laws as might promote the best interest 
of the colony, provided they were not repugnant to the 
laws of England. This charter, as vv'ell as that previously 
granted to Virginia, conferred on the colonists all the privi- 
lejjes of native Eni^'lishmen. 

At their first general court, they elected John Winlhrop 
governor, and Thomas Dudley deputy governor. One oi 
the laws enacted in their court was as repugnant to their 
charter as it proved disastrous to the interests of religion, 
which it was designed to promote. It provided that no 
individual should be entitled to citizenship or any share in 
the government, not even to serve as a juryman, who wa.s 
not a regular church member. This law debarred from all 
participation in the government many who were, in all other 
respects, most eligible to offices of trust and honor, and of 
whose services the framers of the law soon felt their need. 
Afterwards a scheme was devised, called the Half-cove- 
nant, to obviate this difficulty ; by which individuals, on 
acknowledging the church covenant, became in such a 
sense church members as to render them eligible to public 
offices. 

This law, and many others, sometimes styled the intole- 
rant acts of the Puritans, have undoubtedly been too se- 
verel}'- censured. Of many of these godly men, it may, in 
truth, be said, they lived not for the'mselves. Their highest 
wish Vv'as so lay those foundations for the institutions of 
religion and government, which should be the richest lega- 
cies to their descendants. To those who had so great 
veneration for the sacred Scriptures, the plan of a gov- 
ernment modelled after that of the Jews, as nearly as 

What rights did their charter secure ? 

Who was the firr^t governor of Massachusetts Bay ? 

Yv^ho was the first lieutenant governor ? 

What was one of the laws enacted at their first general court ? 

Its effects ? What was the scheme for evading this law called ? 

What did those do who wished to avail themselves of it ? 

What were some of the leading motives of the Puritans in the 

course which they pursued ? 
After v/hat model di I tlit-y form their system of goverament ? 



SETTLEMENTS. 59 



Educalion a;id reiii-'ion arnonpr the Puritans. 



circumstances would permit, was perfectly natural. This 
was one rea5?on for the enactment of the law to which we 
have just adverted. Besides, the corporation had made a 
purchase of the whole territory over which the court exer- 
cised government. Their opinion was correct, that they 
were doing injustice to no one by prescribing rules for the 
admission of settlers. This law was also less intolerant 
than those of every other nation at that time, and, of course, 
the unmeasured severity with which some later historians 
have censured it, must be altogether unjustifiable. After 
sacrificing so much for the enjoyment of the institutions for 
which they sighed, who would not defend and guard them 
with equal jealousy? Who would not observe the very 
first intimation of danger ? That the Puritans were men, 
and therefore liable to err, is freely acknowledged. But 
that they deserve the severe censures that have sometimes 
been passed upon them, remains yet to be proved. 

The care taken to provide for the institutions of religion, 
public worship in particular, was peculiar. " How shall 
ministers he supportedV was one of the first questions. 
The thought of living for a year without the enjoyment of 
the ordinances of the gospel was intolerable. Hence, gen- 
erally, when a new settlement commenced, it was by a 
number of families sufficient to form a religious society, 
who, if possible, took a religious teacher with them. V/hen 
the question, how the gospel should be supported, had been 
decided, another of vast importance claimed attention — 
liovi shall our children be educated? Their answer to this 
is learned by the efforts they made to establish schools, and 
the laws they enacted to regulate them. 

It surely is not a matter for wonder, that a people, im- 
bibing such sentiments, and establishing such institutions, 
should be lovers of freedom, and be found ready to repel 
every encroachment on their liberties. 

In the ensuing autumn and winter, the colonists, from 
tiieir want of comfortable shelter, from the inclemency of 
the season, and from their destitution of suitable food, suf- 



Ho'vv did the laws of the Puritans compare with those of other na- 
tions in regard to toleration ? 
What was one of the first questions with the Puritans ? 
What other one did ihev regard as very important ? 



60 SCPIOOL HISTORY. ^ 

Their perseverance and success. SelUlement of Maryland. Of Connecticut. 

fered so extremely that from two to three hundred perished. 
Still their unshaken confidence in the rectitude of their 
cause and in the ultimate success of their scheme continued. 
They carried forward their plans with a resolution which 
nothing could shake, and with ah energy which no common 
obstacles could successfully oppose. The forest fell before 
their industry, and the wilderness became a fruitful field. 
We shall soon see them extending their settlements along 
the coast and far back into the interior. 

But we must first notice the commencement of a colony 
further south. In 1632, George Calvert, (Lord Baltimore,) 
an eminent Roman Catholic, obtained a grant of territory on 
the Chesapeake bay, and called it Maryland, in honor of 
Henrietta Maria, daughter of Henry the Great of France. 
But he died before the patent was completed. His son 
Leonard Calvert, however, Avith two hundred emigrants, 
sailed for America near the close of 1633, and arrived at 
the Potomac early in 1634. They purchased of the na- 
tives one of their settlements, to which they gave the name 
of St. Mary. By this pacific course, comfortable habita- 
tions were secured, and also some improved lands, and, 
what was of still greater value to them, the friendship of 
the natives. Other circumstances served to increase the 
prosperity of the colony. The country was pleasant ; 
great religious freedom was enjoyed, and a liberal charter 
had been granted. Emigrants, therefore, soon flocked from 
the other colonies and from England. 

At the same time emigration Avas increasing in the north. 
In 1631, Say, Seal and others obtained from the Plymouth 
Company a grant of Connecticut. In the same year, the 
Indians livinsf near the Connecticut river invited some of 
the colonists at Plymouth to commence a settlement on 
their lands. The invitation was accepted, and a few of 

How many of the Puritans perished before the following spring ? 
Why ? Why were they not discouraged ? 
How did they execute their plans ? 
Who obtained a grant of Maryland ? 
Why did he give it that name ? When ? 

Why did he not begin the settlement ? Who did ? When ? 

(See Chart.) Hov/ did they secure the land from the natives ? 
What contributed to the prosperity of the colony ? 
When was Connecticut granted ? To whom ? By whom ? 



SETTLEMENTS. ' 61 



Change in the goveraiiieat of Massachusetts. A second change. Commissioners,, 

the colonists went to explore the country, who selected a 
place near the mouth of a small river in the present town 
of Windsor for the erection of a trading house. The 
Dutch at New York determined to anticipate them, and 
for this purpose sent a party to erect a fort 'where Hartford 
now stands.* Those from the settlement at Plymouth who 
had explored this region, in company with a few others, 
I'eftthat colony in September, 1633; and, in the following 
month, having arrived at Windsor, erected a house on the 
spot which they had previously selected. At first they 
were violently opposed by the Dutch ; but they soon gained 
quiet and undisputed possession of their territory. In 1635, 
many of the inhabitants of Massachusetts migrated to Con- 
necticut and settled at Windsor and Wethersfield, and in 
the month 'of June of the following year, the Rev. Mr. 
Hooker, with about one hundred of his congregation, from 
Cambridge, laid the foundation of Hartford. 

The settlements in Massachusetts had become so nume- 
rous and had extended so far into the interior as to render 
it inconvenient for all the citizens to attend in person the 
general court at Boston. Hence a law was passed, in 
1634, giving each of the towns the privilege of sending a 
certain number of its citizens to represent the rest in the 
general assembly. Thus the government was changed 
from a simple democracy to a representative republic. 

But this bud of republicanism was destined to be check- 
ed, in the infancy of its growth, by the hand of monarchical 
power. In the same year in which the colonists had 
adopted a representative government, his Britannic majesty, 
in violation of the chartered rights, committed the govern- 
ment of the colonies, especially of those in New England, 
to a board of commissioners. To this oppressive act he 
was probably stimulated by a report that Massachusetts 

What induced the Dutch to erect a fort at Hartford ? 

When did the Plymouth colonists erect the first house in Connecti- 
cut? (See Chart.) Where? When was Wethersfield settled ? 

Who settled Hartford ? 

(3) Which way from Hartford are Windsor and Wethersfield ? 

What change in the government of Massachusetts in 1634 ? 

Why ? Why did she not long enjoy this new form of government ? 

Why did the king make this change in the government of Massa- 
chusetts ? 

6 



62 SCHOOL HISTORY- 



Plymouth Compaay surrenders its charter. Vane. Roger Williams. 

designed lo become an independent state, and was intole* 
rant in matters of religion. 

This act checked the tide of emigration, which, in the 
following )'ear, was still further restrained by the voluntary 
surrender of the charter of the Plymouth Company to the 
crown. This Avas done under the pretext that Massachu* 
setts, in civil and ecclesiastical measures, had transcended 
the limits prescribed by its charter. 

Of those who came over to join the colonists at this pe- 
riod, several returned after a short time, finding their views 
of liberty were essentially different from those entertained 
by the great body of the Puritans already in the country. 
Among the most distinguished of these, were Henry Vane, 
who was appointed governor the second year after he ar- 
rived, and Hugh Peters, who, afterwards, was chaplain to 
Cromwell in England. Others, still more conspicuous, were 
prevented from leaving England by the express injunction 
of the king. Among them was Oliver Cromwell, who af- 
terwards dethroned the king and made himself dictator. 

A dissension in one of the colonies laid the foundation of 
a new settlement in 1636. Roger Williams had been 
banished from the Massachusetts colony for avowing senti- 
ments, at Salem, which were considered heretical and sedi- 
tious. In opposition to the prevailing opinion, he main- 
tained that civil magistrates are under obligation to afibrd 
equal protection to every denomination of Christians. 
After his banishment, he went to Seeconk, which being 
within the territory granted to the Plymouth settlers, their 
governor ordered him to leave it. He next proceeded to 
Mooshausic, novi'' called Providence, where he commenced 
the settlement of Rhode Island in 1636. 

The settlements in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New 
Hampshire, which were now rapidly extending, were sud- 

What influence had this on emigration ? 

Why was the charter surrendered next year ? 

Why did some emigrants return ? 

What two of these were most distinguished ? 

What prevented Cromwell and others from emigrating? 

Why was Roger Williams banished from Salem ? When? 

When was Rhode Island settled ? (See Chart.) By whom ? 

In what town was the settlement commenced ? 

(3) In what part of the slate is it ? 



SETTLEMENTS. 



Indians. Indian ho^lililies. Mason's attack. 

denly checked by the hostility of the natives. Most oi' 
those once occupying" the territory of Massachusetts Bay 
and Plymouth had been destroyed by pestilence, before the 
settlement of Plymouth, and by the small pox in 1633, so 
that few remained to oppose the progress of the English. 
But within the bounds of Connecticut and Rhode Island. 
were two numerous and powerful tribes, the Pequods and 
Narraganseis ; the former of these occupied the territory 
which is now embraced in the western part of Rhode Is- 
land, and the eastern part of Connecticut; and the latter, 
that which is now the central part of Rhode Island. Tlie 
r*equods were envious toward the colonists; but th.e Nar- 
ragansets were friendly. A deadly hatred existed be- 
tween them. The Pequods were willing to make peace 
with the other tribes, and unite with them against the 
English, and made proposals to this effect. The Narra- 
ganseis at first seemed inclined to consider their proposals, 
as they, too, began to fear the influence of increasing 
encroachments on their soil. But their hatred to the ' 
Pequods finally prevailed, and they gave information to 
the colonists of their designs, and invited them to join in 
a war against that tribe. 

This proposal led the colonists to a knowledge of their 
danger, and aroused them to. unite in defending them- 
selves. In 1637, Massachusetts, Plymouth and Connecti- 
cut agreed to unite their forces, and attempt the entire 
destruction of the Pequods. The Indians of the obnox- 
ious tribe vv^ere attacked at fort Mystic, by a company of 
Connecticut troops, led by Captain Mason. About three 

What checked the rapid progress of settlements ? 

What had become of the Indians in Massachusetts Bay ? 

What their names ? Where did they reside ? 

What the disposition of each tribe toward the colonists? 

Toward each other ? 

W^hat proposal did the Pequods make at this time ? 

Why did not the Narragansets accede to this proposal ? 

What course did they take ? 

What aroused the colonies to a sense of their danger, and indiiced 
them to make preparations for defence ? 

What measure was adopted by Pdassachusetts, Plymouth and Con- 
necticut for their mutual safety ? When? 

What attack was made upon the Indians of tlie obnoxious tribe 
about this time ? By v/hom ? (3) Whore ? 



64 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Battle in a swamp. Harvard college. 

hundred friePidly Indians accompanied him. The altack 
was made early on the morning of the 26th of May, and 
was conducted with so much skill, that the savages had 
no knowledge of the approach of Mason, till he arrived at 
the fort. He set fire to the wigwams, or Indian huts, and 
by fire and sword destroyed nearly all the Indians, amount- 
ing to about six hundred. Two only of the English were 
killed, and sixteen wounded. Mason's army amounted to 
about eighty, beside the friendly Indians. 

A party of men, principally from Massachusetts, made 
another attack during the following month. Having sur- 
rounded a swamp in the present town of Fairfield, in 
which the Pequods had taken shelter, the latter were routed 
and eighty taken captive. Those who escaped fled to 
their tribe, collected in a neighboring swamp, where they 
were again attacked, and two hundred killed or made 
prisoners. The few who escaped fled to the Mohawks, a 
tribe on the Mohawk river. The power of this tribe was 
thus completely broken, while others were made to fear 
the arms and displeasure of the English, so that peace 
with them was maintained for a considerable length of 
time. 

This year was memorable also for the establishment of 
a school at Newton, which was soon incorporated ; and, in 
honor of its principal founder, called Harvard College. 
The liberal views which led to this enterprise, and the 
sacrifice made in its accomplishment, illustrate the charac- 
ter of its founders, and may be a valuable lesson to their 
descendants in all subsequent periods. 

At this period flourished the celebrated Mrs. Ann 
Hutchinson, a woman of good natural talents, and pleasing 
address. She advanced certain mystical doctrines, one of 
which was that the elect saints have certain internal reve- 
lations, by which they may be assured of their good estate 
and of their acceptance with God. - This, of course, led 

How conducted ? With what success ? 

What Avas the number of IMason's armj^ ? 

What otlier attack v.as maJe the month following? 

What was the result of the first action ? Of the second ? 

When was Plarvard college founded ? 

Why did it receive this name 1 

What was one ofihe lavorite doctrines of Ann Hutchinson? 



SETTLEMENTS. 65 



New Haven. Say brook. 



her to deny the necessity of good works as an evidence 
of justification, and gave her whole system a debasing ten- 
dency. In an age of so ranch ardor and enthusiasm on 
religious subjects, many embraced her opinions ; among 
whom were Governor Vane and Messrs. Cotton and Vv^heel- 
riglit, two distinguished clergymen. Lieutenant Governor 
Winthrop, and most of the clergy and churches, aware of 
the danger of these sentiments, called an ecclesiastical 
council, in which both she and her opinions were con- 
demned. She was afterwards excommunicated from the 
church in Boston, and sought an asylum among the 
Dutch, where she was massacred b}'' the Indians : thus 
terminated an excitement distinguished by the rapidity and 
wiidness of its operation, as well as by the bitter conten- 
tions it produced. 

In the mean time, a new colony was established in 
Connecticut. In 1637, Davenport and Eaton, with many 
others, arrived at Boston. Liberal offers were made to 
induce them to join the settlements in Massachusetts Bay. 
But preferring to form a distinct community, they sent 
Eaton, with several others, to explore the south-western 
coast, and find a suitable place for settlement. They fixed 
upon a spot called Quinnipiac, but subsequently New 
Haven. On the following spring, the remainder of their 
company arrived ; and in 1G39 they formed a regular 
goverment, on a plan like that which the colonists in 
Massachusetts had previously adopted, and chose Eaton 
for their first governor. A similar plan of government was 
also adopted the same 3^ear by the settlers in Hartford and 
vicinity. About the same time George Fenwick and others 
commenced a settlement at the mouth of Connecticut river, 
to which, in honor of Lord Say and Seal and Lord Brook, 
they gave the name of Saybrook. The next year emigrants 

What (lid it lead her to deny ? 

What was the tendency of her scheme? 

Who became her followers ? Iler opponents ? 

What became of her ? 

When w^as New Haven settled ? (See chart.) By whom ? 

(3) Where is it ? Why did they not settle in Massachusetts ? 

What was its Indian name ? Who was the first governor ? 

When was Saybrook settled ? Whence its name ? 

(3) Where is it? 

6* 



66 SCHOOL HISTORY 



State of the northern colonies. State of the southern. 

from the New Haven colony commenced a settlement on 
the Delaware, which was soon after destroyed by the 
Dutch. 

While these colonies were rising in Connecticut, those 
in Massachusetts were multiplying and extending their 
influence. Roger Williams, in Rhode Island, was doing 
much, not only to improve the condition of the settlers of 
that colony, but also to enlighten and christianize the sav- 
ages. Influenced by the example of his tolerance and vir- 
tue, William Coddington and others, in 1638, purchased 
of the Indians the island of Aquetnic, which they after- 
wards called Rhode Island, and commenced a settlement. 

The colonies in Nev/ Hampshire did not increase rapid- 
ly, for the settlers devoted their principal attention to fish- 
ing and trade. In 1631, a settlement had been com- 
menced at Portsmouth; and, in 1638, the Rev. John 
Wheelright laid the foundation of Exeter. The next 
year, he and the inhabitants formed a civil government. 
Soon after, the other towns in the state followed their ex- 
ample ; each, however, remaining distinct and independ- 
ent. Unable to preserve themselves in a separate capacity: 
in 1641 they all put themselves under the government and 
protection of Massachusetts. Before the year 1640, it is 
supposed that more than twenty thousand had emigrated 
to Massachusetts alone. Settlements had become numer- 
ous in all parts of New England. 

The southern colonies were also in a flourishing condi- 
tion. Berkley had become governor of Virginia in 1640 ; 
and under his mild administration the colony was very 
prosperous, and settlements rapidly multiplied. 

What became of the New Haven colony on the Delaware ? 

What did Williams do for the Indians ? 

Who settled the island of Rhode Island ? When ? 

(2) Where is it ? 

Why did not the settlements in New Hampshire increase more 

rapidly ? AVhen was Portsmouth settled ? 
Exeter ? By whom ? 

(3) In what part of New Hampshire are they ? 
What did he do the next year ? 

To what state were these towns united in 1641 ? 
Who became governor of Virginia in 1640? 
Character of his administration ? 



SETTLEMENTS. 67 

England. Character of settlers. 

During the year 1642, Clayborne, who had received 
permission to traffic in that region, becoming apprehensive 
that his trade would be diminished by the growing 
power of the Maryland colony instigated the neighboring 
savages to engage in war, by means of which the colony 
was greatly distressed. He was afterwards tried for trea- 
son, but, under the existing state of things in England, was 
not condemned. 

About this time, the causes in England which promoted 
emigration to this country, in some measure, ceased. The 
dissenters gained the ascendency in the government, and 
of course the persecution of the Puritans terminated. 
Still the settlements continued to extend and increase 
with rapidity. All their previous discipline had prepared 
them to brave difficulties and face dangers of every kind. 
A firm trust in God made them calm in seasons of peril, 
and patient under privations. A large number of minis- 
ters, eminent for piety, talents and learning, had been 
driven to the new world, by the persecutions which had 
raged for twenty years ; and they seemed to mould the 
character of the common people, Avho had the highest 
respect for learning as well as piety, and whose institu- 
tions had the happiest influence on the rising generation. 
It may be added, that seldom, if ever, have the designs of 
Providence been more open or plain than they were in the 
foundations thus laid for a great and happy nation. Let 
the same spirit continue, and the same love of religion, 
learning and virtue be cherished, and our future page of 
history will be such as will delight the scholar, patriot 
and Christian. 

What did Clayborne attempt in 1642 ? "With what success ? 

What change took place in England ? 

What made our fathers calm and patient ? 

Should not their descetidants, then, endeavor to cultivate the same 

heavenly grace ? 
What will preserve our nation and render it a praise in the earth ? 



68 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Questions. 



GEOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONS. 

CHAPTER II. 

(3) Where is Ca^t Henry ? What cape north of it ? What bay 
empties into the ocean between them ? Where is Jamestown ? 
Which way from Cape Henry ? From Richmond? (2) Where is 
Qusiec ? Which way from Jamestown? Where did the Iroquois 
live ? (3) Where is Ticotideroga ? Which way from Quebec ? 
Which way from Hudson river ? (1) Where are the Bermuda isles ? 
Where did the Powhattans dwell ? (3) Which way from Ticonde- 
roga is Albany ? From Albany to New York .? (1) In what direc- 
tion must Captain Argal have travelled in going from Nova Scotia 
to New York ? What part of the state of New York did the Dutch 
originally call New Netherlands ? (2) Describe the Kennebec river ? 
Vv'^hich way is Cape Cod from Penobscot river? Who first ex- 
plored the coast from the former to the latter? (1) In what part 
of Europe is Germany? In what part of the Netherlands is .4/;?- 
sterdam ? Which way from London ? From Leyden 1 Why did 
the Puritans leave England? Amsterdam? Leyden? In what 
part of England is Flymouth ? Which way from Leyden ? Which 
way from Plymouth in Massachusetts ? In what direction must 
the Puritans have gone from England to Amsterdam ? From Am- 
sterdam to Leyden? From Leyden to England ? From Plymouth 
ill England to Plymouth in Massachusetts ? In what part of Eng- 
land Is Dorchester ? Which way from Plymouth ? From London ? 
(3) Describe Merrimack river? Charles river ? (2) What states 
arc now embraced in the territory granted to White and his asso- 
ciates in 1627 ? Where is Salem ? Which way from Jamestown ? 
From New York ? From Plymouth ? From Charlestown ? Where 
is Boslon ? Which way from Salem ? From Plymouth ? What 
adjacent towns are mentioned ? (2) What states are contiguous to 
Maryland ? What river forms its southern boundary ? What bay 
extends into it ? How is Connecticut bounded ? (3) In what part 
of it is Windsor ? Which way from Windsor is Wethersfield ? 
Hartford ? How is Ekode Island bounded ? In what part of it is 
Providence ? Where did the Pequods and the Narragansets live ? 
(3) Where is Fairfield ? In what part of Connecticut is New Ha- 
ven ? Which way from Hartford ? From Saybrook ? 



SETTLEMENTS. 69 



Questions. 



CHRONOLOGICAL QUESTIONS. 

CHAPTER II. - 

"What is the period, embraced in the second chapter, called? 
(See chart) How many years in this period? How many divis- 
ions of the line ? What is the first event ? Settlement of James- 
town ? Its date ? The second ? Its date ? What do you recol- 
lect about the settlement of Jamestown ? About the adventures 
of Smith ? What other events took place before the settlement of 
the Dutch at New York ? What was the second settlement made 
in this period ?— By what nation ? In what year ? Which of these 
two cities was settled first ? Who explored the coast of Maine and 
Massachusetts the same year? When was the third settlement 
commenced ? — At what place ? By whom ? Hov/ long before this 
did they leave England for Holland ? How long was it from the 
time when they sailed from Plymouth in England till they landed 
on the coast of America? How long before this were the first 
slaves introduced into the United States ? — What event of impor- 
tance to the Jamestown colony happened at the same time ? What 
other events took place between 1614 and 1620 ? Where was the 
fourth permanent settlement commenced ? When ? — What event 
happened the previous year in the Virginia settlement ? What on 
the following year ? When was Salem settled? — How long after 
the settlement of New Plampshire ? Of Plymouth ? Of New 
York ? Of Jamestown ? What town was settled the next year ? 
When was Boston settled ? — What other towns were settled about 
the same time ? What one was settled one year earlier ? Two 
years ? When was Connecticut settled ? — What town in that state 
was settled first ? What other town was settled two years later ? 
Three years later ? What other state was settled the next year ? 
What do you recollect about the settlement of Connecticut ? Of 
Maryland ? What settlement commenced in 1636 ? — What war 
began the next year ? Give an account of it ? When was New 
Haven settled ? — What other town in Connecticut was settled about 
the same time ? What one in New Hampshire ? What island ? 
How many years from this to the union of New England colo- 
nies ? — How many important settlements are chronologized in this 
chapter ? How many in each of the divisions of the line in this 
chapter ? Which has the greatest number ? Give the dates of 
each of the events chronologized on the tenth division of the line, 
and, if you have associated any other events with these, tell what 
they are, and about how long before or after the event chronolo- 
gized they happened. So give the dates of the events on the elev- 
enth division ? On the twelfth ? How much shorter is this period 
than the preceding ? 



70 SCHOOL HISTOKY. 

Cause of hosUlilies. 



CHAPTER III. 

Embracing 46 years; from the union of the colonies of New Eng- 
land, in 1643, to the commencement of the reign of William and 
Mary, in 1689. 

PERIOD OF INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 

We are now entering on a period of tiie history of the 
LFnited States, abounding with incidents of great inter- 
est and importance. We shall frequently be called to 
admire the Providence of God strikingly manifest, some- 
times in chastening ; and sometimes, in almost miracu- 
lously preserving our fathers in the wilderness. The les- 
sons of practical wisdom, thus learned, w^ere highly im- 
portant to them, and they ought not to be less so to their 
children. 

Settlements at the commencement of this period had 
been begun in most of the states on the coast, and, in some 
instances, had extended far back into the interior of the 
country. The native tribes had already begun to read 
their doom of extermination, and w^ere anxious to check 
the rapid march of English emigration, as it passed by the 
homes of their infancy, and the graves of their fathers. 
They had partly forgotten the fate of the Pequods, and 
were ready to seek every possible occasion for war. 
Obliged to feel their inferiority to the whites, most joyfully 
would the}" have made any sacrifice to become again 
lords of the soil, and rid themselves of intruding for- 
eigners. But they dare not commence their outrages 

How many years in the third chapter ? 

What were the first and the last remarkable events embraced with- 

in this period ? 
In what can we trace the hand of Providence ? 
How far had settlements extended at this time ? 
What were the feelings of the natives in view of it ? 
What course did they take ? 
How did thcv feci in ."olcrcncc io Ihoir foruier possessions? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 71 

Union of New Eiigiand colonies. Terms of union. Indian missionaries. 

Avithout concert and combination. Of course the colonists 
had tinne to prepare for defence, as well as to learn the 
strength of their foes. 

The increasing power and importance of the Dutch 
settlements at New York, and the disposition evinced, on 
more than one occasion, to check the progress of English 
settlements, together with the growing power of the French 
colonies, and the Indian war excited by Clayborne against 
the Maryland colony, suggested to the New England 
colonies the necessity of a confederation, by which they 
would become more formidable to their enemies Ac- 
cordingly, in May, 1643, commissioners were appointed by 
four colonies, Massachusetts, Plymouth, New Haven and 
Hartford, to agree on the terms of confederation. Arti- 
cles of union were assented to by all of them. 

The title adopted was " The United Colonies of New 
England." They engaged in time of war to render each 
other mutual assistance and support. Commissioners 
from each colony were to be appointed to agree on regu- 
lations for the common welfare, and each was bound to 
furnish its proportion of both men and money for war. 
Rhode Island was not admitted, because the colony would 
not submit to the jurisdiction of Plymouth, within the 
limits of whose charter it was supposed to lie. This 
union was highly beneficial, and rendered the colonies 
more formidable to the Indians. 

Several tribes, among which were the Narragansets 
and Mohegans, submitted immediately to the king of Eng- 
land. Considerable progress was soon made in chris- 
tianizing them, by Rev. Mr. Mahew, who was for several 
years an able and successful missionary among them. 

Vrhat circumstance afforded the colonists time to prepare for 

defence ? 
What suggested to the New England colonies the necessity of a 

confederation ? 
V\liat was the first measure adopted in reference to this subject ? 
AVhen were commissioners appointed ? By whom ? 
For what purpose ? 
What did they agree to do in JDehalf of their constituents? 

What colony was refused ? Why ? 
What beneficial efiects resulted to the colonies from this union ? 
What individuals were peculiarly successful as missionaries to the 

Indians ? 



72 SCHOOL HISTOHY. 



Change in government. Rhode Island. 

But the most devoted and successful of the early Indian 
missionaries was Rev. John Eliot, who has been justly- 
styled " the Apostle of the Indians." He translated the 
Bible into the language of the natives, which was printed 
at Cambridge, shortly after the establishment of a printing 
office in that town. This fact, so interesting to the phi- 
lanthropist, commends the benevolence of our Pilgrim 
fathers. 

During the year in which the New England colonies 
became thus happily united, some important events took 
place in Great Britain. " Parliament met and passed an 
act, no less remarkable for the extent of power assumed, 
than for the extraordinary regulations Vvdiich it established, 
relating to the American colonies. By this act, the earl 
of Warwick was appointed governor and lord high ad- 
miral of the colonies, with a council of five peers and 
twelve commoners to assist him. He was empowered, in 
conjunction with his associates, to examine the state of 
colonial affairs ; to send for papers and persons ; to re- 
move governors and other officers ; to appoint their suc- 
cessors and to delegate to them such power as he should 
think proper. Such was the authority which the parlia- 
ment of Great Britain exerted over its trans- Atlantic domin- 
ions. The colonists were unable to resist, and therefore 
applied for protection to the commissioners, to whom the 
charter of the country liad been given. 

During the same year in which the union of the New 
England colonies was formed, the settlers of Rhode Island 
and Providence employed Roger Yvllliams to go to Eng- 
land and obtain for them a charter. Vane, who was for- 
merly governor of Massachusetts, aided him in the ac- 
complishment of his object. In March, 1644, an act of 

What important translation was made into the Indian language ? 

By whom ? Where printed ? 

What inference creditable to the Puritans may be made from this 
fact ? 

What remarkable ordinance was passed about this time, by parlia- 
ment ? 

With what powers did it invest the earl of Warwick and his peers ? 

Who was sent to England in 1643 ? 

By whom ? For what ? 

Who aided him ? Were thev successful ? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 73 

Clayborne's rebellion. War. 

incorporation was secured, endowing them with rights 
similar to those of the other colonies. For several years 
this charter secured the peace and prosperity of these two 
settlements. 

We have already noticed the colony at Saybrook, which 
was for several years governed by its own magistrates and 
laws ; but in 1644, the general court of Connecticut pur- 
chased all its rights for seven thousand dollars. 

About the same time, England was agitated with civil 
dissensions. The houses of parliament were arrayed 
against the supporters of the crown. William Clayborne, 
to whose opposition to Lord Baltimore in the settlement 
of Maryland we have already adverted, espoused the cause 
and advocated the claims of parliament. In 1645, he re- 
turned to Maryland to promote the object of his party, and 
also to revenge his previous expulsion from the colony. 
By wicked devices, he soon succeeded in fomenting a 
spirit of party and rebellion among the settlers. Those 
who espoused the interest of parliament became bitterly 
opposed to their rulers, who were established and sup- 
ported by royal authority. To such an extremity did they 
at length proceed, as to compel Calvert, their governor, to 
flee to Virginia and leave the reins of government in their 
own hands. During the following year their rebellion 
was quelled, and peace and order were again restored. 

"In 1646, an obstinate battle was fought between the 
Dutch and Indians, in that part of Horseneck, in the pre- 
sent town of Greenwich, Connecticut, called Strickland's 
plains. Great numbers were killed on both sides, but 
the Dutch were eventually victorious." The war contin- 

What rights did this new charter confer ? 
Who purchased Saybrook in 1644 ? For how much? 
What disturbed the peace of England ? 
Who espoused the cause of Parliament ? 
Why did he return to Maryland ? When ? 
What did he succeed in doing ? 

Why were some of the colonists opposed to their rulers ? 
What became of their governor ? 
How long did the rebellion continue ? 
What battle of importance was fought the next year ? 
By whom ? Where ? 
How many were killed on both sides ? 
Which was victorious ? 
7 



74 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Cambridge platftrin. Differences between the Swiss and Dutch colonists. 

ued till Peter Stuyvesant, an old officer in the republican 
service of Holland, was appointed governor of New Neth- 
erlands. By his prudence and vigor, he appears to have 
succeeded, in 1647, in effecting a peace with the Indians, 
which continued uninterrupted during the whole of his 
administration. 

In 1648, an assembly of ministers was convened at Cam- 
bridge, which formed the Cambridge Platform of church 
government. This was the religious constitution of the 
colonies for many years, and is now esteemed a valuable 
ecclesiastical document. 

The quarrel between the parliament and King Charles 
ended in the death of the latter, on the scaffold, in 1649. 

The commissioners of the New England colonies met at 
Hartford, in 1650, for the purpose of adjusting the differ- 
ences which had long existed between the Dutch and Eng- 
lish respecting their claims on the territory of Connecticut. 
Governor Stuyvesant attended ; and after much alterca- 
tion, a line between their respective territories was mu- 
tually settled. Long Island was divided between them. 
The Dutch retained the lands occupied by their settlements 
in Connecticut, and resigned the remainder to which the 
English laid claim. 

A colony of settlers from Sweden had established them- 
selves in Maryland. The Dutch governor Stuyvesant op- 
posed their continuance. " He built a fort at Casimer, now 
called Newcastle, on the Delaware, in which was placed a 
small garrison of soldiers. The Swedes protested against 
this proceeding. Their governor, under the guise of friend- 
ship, came before the fortress, and landed thirty men, who 
were entertained by the commander as friends. After 
ascertaining the weakness of the garrison, they took pos- 
session of it and compelled the Dutch to swear allegiance 

When was the war brought to a close ? By whom ? 
How long did peace continue ? 
What caused the death of Charles ? When ? 
What was effected for the safety of the colony in 1650 ? 
What important event took place in 1648 ? 

How long did it continue the religious constitution of the colonies? 
What fort was built by the Dutch in 1651 ? (4) Where ? 
What did the Swedes do in reference to this proceeding of the 
Dutch ? What did their governor do ? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 75 

Effect of the controversy on the colonies. War in Maryland. 

to Christiana, queen of Sweden." Stuyvesant was too 
firm in his defence of right to submit tamely to such an 
outrage, or to content himself with merely recapturing the 
fort. He determined to subdue the whole Swedish settle- 
ment. He made preparations accordingly, and, in 1655, 
received the surrender of the whole of their establishment, 
the only colony that Sweden has ever possessed on thci 
western continent. 

The first settlements in Carolina were begun, as early as 
1650, by planters from Virginia, and emigrants from other 
places, who fled from religious intolerance. This settle- 
ment was commenced north of Albemarle sound. Amonof 
the colonists were many Quakers. " The settlement falling 
within the Carolina grant, the proprietors claimed jurisdic- 
tion over it, and authorized Berkley, governor of Virginia, 
to take it under his protection." 

The controversy in England, of which we have just 
spoken, exerted an important influence on the American 
colonies. When parliament obtained the supremacy over 
the royal party, it bestowed many favors on the New Eng- 
land colonies, as a reward for their espousing its inter- 
ests in the contest ; while the southern colonies were looked 
upon with suspicion, because they had advocated the cause 
of its opponents. Commissioners were appointed to govern 
the colonies about Chesapeake bay. This occasioned a 
civil war in Maryland between the Catholics, who adhered 
to the royal proprietors, and the Protestants, who adhered 
to the interests of parliament. Calvert, who was then 
governor, availing himself of his right as a proprietor, was 

What was done by Stuyvesant in reference to the capture of fort: 
Casimer ? 

What did the Swedes do, when they saw their settlement about to 
be attacked by Stuyvesant ? 

Has Sweden ever had any other settlement on the western con- 
tinent ? 

When was the first settlement in Carolina commenced ? 

By whom ? Why did they seek to settle there ? 

Where was the first settlement begun ? 

Of what religious denomination were a large part of the settlers ? 

What measure did the proprietors of Carolina grant adopt in rela- 
tion to the new settlers ? 

How did parliament treat the New England colonies ? Why ? 

The southern ? Why ? Wliat was the cause of war in Maryland ? 

Who was then its governor ? 



76 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Persecution in Maryland. Virginia. New England. Cromwell. 

allowed for a time to retain his office. But such was the 
spirit of party and faction that he was unable to preserve 
order, and, therefore, in 1652, he surrendered the govern- 
ment. An opportunity was thus given to the victorious party 
to exercise their power. By one of their first acts, they de- 
clared that no Catholic should enjoy the protection of the laws. 
Quakers and Episcopalians, though not subject to the same 
severity, were still persecuted. Many of those suggestions, 
which we have already offered as apologies for the appa- 
rent intolerance of the Puritans, might, with neai'ly the 
same propriety, be repeated here. 

The part which Virginia had taken in the civil commo- 
tions of England, was similar to that of Maryland ; and 
she was now to share a similar fate. Parliament, in oppo- 
sition to her feeble efforts at resistance, compelled her to 
submit. 

New England had adopted a different policy in regard to 
this contest, and was now to reap its reward. It had 
from the first adopted the views and promoted the meas- 
ures of parliament, and when that became dominant, these 
colonies were exempted from taxes, and all embarrassments 
were removed from their flourishing commerce. Massa- 
chusetts continued to be more prosperous than the other 
New England colonies. They depended upon her for 
assistance and protection. In 1652, Maine came under her 
jurisdiction. 

The parties in England, io whose dissensions the north- 
ern colonies owed, in some degree, their increased prosper- 
ity, continued even after the death of Charles, in ]649. 
Indeed they had not ceased in 1653, when Oliver Cromwell 
usurped the supreme authority in the character of pro- 
tector. The Puritans in America stood high in his esti- 

Did he retain his office ? 

When did he vacate it ? Why ? 

When the parliamentary party prevailed how did they treat the 

Ca,tholics ? The Quakers and Episcopalians? 
What apology may be ofiered for this treatment ? 
How was Virginia treated ? New England? 
What was the condition of Massachusetts? 
What were her relations to the other colonies ? 
When did King Charles die ? 

Who assumed the government of England in 1653 ? 
How did he regard the Puritans ? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 77 



Hostilities. 



matiorsj and therefore expected a continuance of their pros- 
perity. 

But during the same year, the united colonies of New 
England were alarmed by the rising and hostile power of 
the Dutch. They saw in them signs of alienated feeling 
and bloody intention. Though no open hostilities had been 
commenced, still there was reason to believe that the Dutch 
were instigating the Narragansets to take up arms against 
the English colonies. The officers of the colonies assem- 
bled, examined the grounds of this suspicion, and when 
they obtained evidence that it was well founded, sent an 
embassy to the Dutch governor, to expostulate with him 
and induce him to remove the occasion of complaint. 

This object could not be accomplished j and a majority 
of the commissioners voted to declare war with the Narra- 
gansets. Massachusetts, considering the war unnecessary, 
refused to furnish her proportion of troops and provisions 
according to the articles of confederation. The other colo- 
nies, unable to carry on the war alone, declared that Mas- 
sachusetts had violated the grand principle of their union. 
At this crisis they despatched an accountof their condition, 
with a petition for aid, to Cromwell and to parliament. 
The desired supply of troops soon arrived from England, 
and they brought with them a request that Massachusetts 
would no longer refuse her aid. She so far complied with 
this request as to furnish five hundred men. On the fol- 
lowing year, and before any acts of open hostility, a treaty 
of peace was concluded between England and Holland; 
and this, of course, removed all occasion for war in America. 



What at the same time alarmed them ? 
Who were thought to instigate the Indians? 
What did the colonists do ? 
What course did the commissioners then take ? 
What were the feelings of Massachusetts in regard to the war? 
What course did she pursue ? 

What were the feelings of the other colonies in reference to this ? 
What was done ? 

What aid was furnished by Cromwell and parliament ? 
What request did they send to Massachusetts ? 
How far was this request acceded to ? 
What event happened the following year ? 
7* 



78 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Yale college. Insurrection. Quakers. 

" The New Haven colony, from its first settlement, at- 
tended to the interests of learning as well as to those of 
religion and civil polity. Besides establishing a ministry 
in each town by lavv^ to be supported by the inhabitants, it 
established schools in each town, for common education ; 
and a colony grammar school, to prepare youth for college. 
During 1654, the Rev. Mr. Davenport brought forward the 
plan, and advocated the founding of a college, to which the 
town of New Haven made a donation of lands," and hence 
the college was finally located there. 

Maryland was thrown into a state of alarm in 1656, by 
the baseness and intrigue of a person by the name of Fen- 
dal. The insurrection was quelled, but quiet was not fully 
restored for several years. 

During the same year, two Quakers, (females,) arrived 
in New England from Barbadoes ; and not long after, nine 
others of the same religious tenets came from England. 
Their sentiments were considered heretical, and they v/ere 
very speedily brought before the court of assistants, for 
trial. They gave what were deemed very contemptuous 
replies to the questions they were required to answer; 
and the court did not hesitate to commit them to prison. 
It ultimately passed sentence of banishment against them ; 
and required the captain who brought those from England, 
to find sureties to a heavy amount, for their safe transporta- 
tion back to England, detaining them in prison till the ves- 
sel was ready to sail. 

No special act had yet been passed by the general court 
for the punishment of Quakers ; but they were proceeded 

To what other interests beside those of religion and civil polity, 
had the New Haven colony attended, since its settlement ? 

When was Yale college founded? By whom ? 

By what was Maryland alarmed in 1656? The result ? 

At what time did the first Quakers arrive in New England? 

What number first arrived ? What number afterwards ? 

Where did they come from ? (1) Where is this ? 

How did the Puritans view their sentiments ? 

How did they treat them ? 

What was their conduct when on trial ? 

What did the colonists do with them ? 

What did they afterwards do ? 

Had any special act been passed by the general court for the pun- 
ishment of Quakers ? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 79 

Laws against them. Executions. 

against under the general law respecting heretics. At the 
next session of the general court, an act was passed, 
(much to be regretted, though no more intolerant than pro- 
ceedings in other countries, against those not in favor with 
the ruling power,) laying a penalty of one hundred pounds 
upon any ship-master, who should bring a person known 
to be a Quaker into any part of the colony, and requiring 
him to give security that he would carry any such persons 
back again. The court decreed also, that Quakers should 
be immediately sent to the house of correction, receive 
twenty stripes, and be afterwards kept to hard labor until 
their transportation. A penalty of five pounds was to be 
incurred for importing, and the like sum for distributing 
Quaker books. An additional law was made in 16e57, by 
which all persons were subjected to the penalty of forty 
shiUings for every hour's entertainment given to any known 
Quaker ; and any Quaker after the first conviction, if a 
man, was to lose one ear, and after the second conviction, 
the other; and if a woman, after the second conviction, she 
was to be severely whipped ; and after the third conviction, 
any Quaker, without distinction of sex, was to have the 
tongue bored through with a red-hot iron. Every one in 
the colony who should become a Quaker, was to be subject- 
ed to the like punishments. In May, 1658, a penalty of 
ten shillings was laid on every person present at a Quaker 
meeting, and five pounds upon every one speaking at such 
meeting. Notwithstanding all this severity, the number 
of Quakers, as might well be expected, increased rather 
than diminished. In October, a further law was made for 
punishing with death all Quakers who should return after 
banishment. In pursuance of these laws, several Quakers, 
who had been guilty of shameful conduct, were condemned, 
and three were executed. But, unlike the sect as it exists 

Under what law did they thus deal with them ? 

What act was passed at the next session of the general court in 
reference to the Quakers ? 

What additional law was passed the next year ? 

What penalty was laid on those attending Quaker meetings ? 

When was it laid ? 

What effect had this severity on the increase of the Quaker de- 
nomination in New England? Was it just? 

What further law was made in October of this year .' 

What was done in pursuance of these laws ? 



80 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Charles II. i^ew charier. 

among us, they were guilty of many species of abuse ; 
they reviled rulers ; the worship of the colonists was in- 
terrupted by their violent conduct, and public decen- 
cy outraged by their appearance in the streets, entirely 
destitute of clothing. It is even said that one of their num- 
ber was detected in the act of sacrificing his son, in im- 
itation of the example of Abraham. The penal laws re- 
specting the Quakers continued in force, however, but a few 
years. 

The career of Cromwell was short. Immediately after 
his death, in 1658, measures were taken to restore Charles 
II. to the throne of England. This was opposed by a pow- 
erful party. Those who were in favor of it, however, 
gained strength, and finally, in 1660, prevailed. 

The colony of Virginia assumed their former mode of 
government after Cromwell's death, and appointed again 
Berkley their governor. To New England, the restoration 
of Charles II. was a very unwelcome event ; they supposed 
that the king would not be friendly to them, as they had 
justified Cromwell and parliament in their previous meas- 
ures. In this anticipation they were not disappointed. 
He Vv^as, however, too much engrossed for a season with 
other things, to invade the rights and privileges they 
had before enjoyed. He even granted an increase of 
privileges to the Connecticut colony, which sent Mr. Win- 
throp, son of Governor Winthrop, of Massachusetts, to Eng- 
land, with a petition soliciting a charter under the royal 
signature. On the 20th of April, 1662, he obtained a pa- 
tent granting the most ample privileges. " It is remarka- 
ble," says a writer in the North American Review, " that 
although it was granted at a period of the world when the 

What was the character of the Quakers of those days in compari- 
son with those of the present ? 

Of what disgraceful conduct were they guilty? 

Did this excuse the proceedings of the colonists 1 

How long did the penal laws respecting Quakers continue in force? 

When did Cromwell die? 

How soon after was Charles TI. restored to the throne ? 

How did the settlers in New England view this event ? Why ? 

Were their anticipations realized ? 

What step was taken by the Connecticut colony, soon after the 
restoration ? What was his success ? 

What the privileges granted by this patent?. When granted? 



i 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 81 

Goffe and Whalley. Government of Maryland. Oppression. 

rights of the people were little understood, and by an arbi- 
trary sovereign, it established a more popular government, 
and invested the people with greater power, than that for 
which it has since been deliberately exchanged." 

About the time that Charles II. ascended the throne, two 
of those w^ho had been instrumental of the death of Charles 

I. came to New England. Their names were Goffe and 
Whalley. They remained in the country, and were, in 
1661, sought by the agents of Charles who meditated their 
death. 

Great pains were taken by the king's agents to find them, 
but the people were friendly to them, and so successfully 
secreted them, that the messengers were obliged to aban- 
don the search. 

In 1662, the government of Maryland was restored to 
Lord Baltimore, who appointed Charles Calvert, his eldest 
son, governor of the colony. 

In 1663, it was enacted by parliament that no European 
commodity should be imported into the colonies, unless 
shipped directly from England, and in British vessels. By 
this regulation, in connection with others that had been 
previously made, all the trade of the colonies was secured 
to Great Britain. This was one of the first acts of Charles 

II. to oppress New England. 

The Americans had no means of defence against these 
measures, and reluctantly submitted. They were made the 
subject of complaints ; but the English government pertina- 
ciously declined repealing their laws or affording any other 
relief, especially to New England. The ancient constitu- 
tion of Virginia had been previously restored, and the grand 

Who came to America in 1660 ? Why ? 

Were they ever apprehended ? Why ? 

What took place in the government of Maryland in 1662 ? 

Who was appointed governor ? By whom ? 

How was New England treated by the parent government after the 
restoration of Charles ? Why ? 

How did Great Britain regard her own interests, compared with 
those of the colonists ? 

What act did she pass in 1663 ? 

What eifect had this and previous acts upon the trade of the colo- 
nies ? 

How did America view these infractions ? 

Did England listen to her remonstrance ? 



82 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Intolerance. Act of uniformiiy. Charter of Rhode Island. 



assembly of that colony had been convened in March, 1662, 
agreeably to the governor's instructions. The church of 
England was, with the approbation of the people, regularly 
established by the assembly ; churches were ordered to be 
built; glebes or parsonages were laid out. Ministers who 
had received their ordination from some bishop in England 
were inducted by the governor, but all others were pro- 
hibited from preaching, on pain of suspension or banish- 
ment. 

By an act of uniformity in religion which took effect in 
England during this year, about two thousand dissenting 
ministers were ejected from their parishes and left without 
any provision for themselves or their famihes. Soon after, 
they were prohibited from being found within five miles of 
any corporation in England. 

Many continued to preach privately, and were conse- 
quently thrown into prison. Several found their way to 
the new w^orld, where they could exercise their ministry in 
peace. Others died in prison, and some followed any call- 
ing by which they could earn their bread. 

Those who came to New England were in general men 
of learning, talents and piety, and proved a great blessing 
to the colonies. Some were among the most eminent of 
the clergy in Great Britain. 

During these religious disputes, Rhode Island applied to 
Charles II. for a new charter, which was granted in 1663, 
and which provided that laws should be made by an as- 
sembly, composed of a governor, ten assistants, and repre- 
sentatives appointed b}'' each town. 

When was the first assembly in Virginia held, after the restoration 

of the ancient constitution ? 
Was there anv established religion in the colony ? What ? 
What regulations were adopted in the colony in relation to it ? 
What act in England took effect this year ? 
What evils resulted from it ? 
Who found an asylum in New England? 
What was iheir character ? 
What inflaence had this providential occurrence upon the religious 

character of New England? 
When did Rhode Island obtain a charter ? From whom ? 
What were some of its leading characteristics ? 
When was Xh.p first meeting under the new charter held? 
When was rho govertpr.ent organized ? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 83 



Capture of the Dutch. Grant of N. Jersey. Change of gov't. N. Y. incorporated. 

At the same time, the Dutch possessions on the Hudson 
river, lying in the midst of the English colonies, began to 
be viewed by Charles as highly injurious to his interest. 
He therefore devised measures to bring them under his 
government ; and accordingly made a grant to his brother, 
the duke of York, in 1664, of the Mrhole territory from Dela- 
ware bay to Nova Scotia. An armed force was immedi- 
ately sent to New York, under Colonel Nichols, who de- 
manded the surrender of the whole of the Dutch possessions. 
Governor Stuyvesant, not being able to resist the force 
brought against him, surrendered the forts, and the juris- 
diction of all the Dutch possessions. These then consisted 
of what now forms the states of New York, New Jersey 
and Delaware. In the same year, New Jersey was granted 
by the duke of York to Lord Berkley and Sir George Car- 
teret. It received its name from the isle of Jersey, over 
which Carteret had presided. On the formation of the 
constitution, in 1665, Philip Carteret was appointed gover- 
nor, and made Elizabethtown, one of the earliest settle- 
ments, the capital. 

Colonel Nichols made provision for the government of 
the territory reclaimed from the Dutch, and instituted a 
court of assizes vested with the powers oi making and exe- 
cuting laws. Trial by jury was established, and proved 
highly beneficial. A code of laws for the colony was 
framed, and appoved by the duke of York, in 1665. 

On the 12th of June, 1665, the inhabitants of New York 
were incorporated as a city. A mayor, five aldermen and 
a sheriff were appointed. 

The loss of its American possessions caused Holland to 

What were the feeUngs of Charles on seeing a Dutch colony in the 

heart of his American dominions ? 
What step did he take to dispossess them ? 
Who conducted the military force which was to carry these plans 

into effect ? What course was taken hy Stuyvesant ? 
To whom did the duke of York convey a part of his grant ? 
What part ^ 
Who assumed the government of the territory which Nichols had 

subjugated i 
What did he do as soon as he had assumed the government ? 
What court did he establish ? What was their power? 
What liberal institution was allowed ? 
When was New York incorporated a city ? 



84 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Commissioners. Government of Maine and Carolina. 

engage in a war with. Great Britain ; but it continued 
only a short time. A treaty of peace was concluded in 
1667, and New York ceded to the English. 

When the duke of York took possession of the territory 
that had been granted to him, Colonel Nichols, George 
Carteret, Samuel Maverick, and Sir Eobert Carr, were 
appointed a board of commissioners to visit and settle diffi- 
culties in the New England colonies. The power granted 
to the commissioners was not pleasing to the colonies, 
especially Massachusetts. But as it w^as exercised with 
moderation, no serious opposition was made. Nichols 
returned to England in 1667, and Mr. Lovelace succeeded 
him in the government of New York. 

Measures were taken by Massachusetts, 1668, to estab- 
lish a provincial government in Maine, and four commis- 
sioners were appointed for that purpose. This was done 
in opposition to the government established there by the 
commissioners appointed by the duke of York. The terri- 
tory remained under the government of Massachusetts for 
several years. 

The southern settlements were not disturbed by these 
contentions in the North. Those in North Carolina had 
already become populous and flourishing ; especially that 
at Albemarle sound, which had been increasing and ex- 
tending its influence nearly twenty years, and which had 
been commenced by emigrants from Virginia. In 1663, 
several individuals from Barbadoes, under Sir John Yea- 
mans, commenced a settlement near the mouth of a river 
called Clarendon in honor of Lord Clarendon. In the 
same year, the king granted his lordship the territory be- 
tween the thirtieth and thirty-sixth degrees of north lati- 
tude, which had been previously granted to Sir Robert 
Heath. The rights of the settlers at Albemarle sound 

With what nation was England soon after involved in war? 
When was peace ratified ? To whom was New York ceded ? 
When did Massachusetts establish a colonial government in 

Maine? Why? 
What was the state of the southern settlements ? 
Where did the emigrants from Barbadoes settle ? 
Who was their commander? 
To whom was their territory previously granted ? 
How extensive was it ? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 85 

Carolina^ Slavery. 

were not infringed by this patent. In 1669, a settlement 
was commenced at Port Royal, in South Carolina, of 
which the proprietors appointed William Sayle governor. 
He laid the foundation of Charleston in 1671, and soon 
after died. His colony and that at Clarendon were then 
united under Sir John Yeamans. The proprietors estab- 
lished a separate government over Albemarle. The inter- 
ests of the latter were in many respects distinct from those 
of the former, and hence arose the division of Carolina into 
North and South. 

A constitution for the government of the colony under 
Governor Sayle was prepared by the celebrated philoso- 
pher, Mr. Locke. But, though prepared with great pains, 
it was found inappropriate to the condition of the colony, 
and its adoption violently opposed. An attempt to enforce 
it in Albemarle was followed by an insurrection. Though 
not immediately repealed, it was not strictly enforced. 

In 1671, an act was passed by the Maryland colony to 
encourage the importation of negro slaves. In this traffic, 
Jamestown had led the way many years before. 

On the following year the tranquillity of the settlements 
in New Jersey was interrupted by domestic disputes. The 
principal cause of these was the refusal of some of the ear- 
lier settlers, who had purchased their lands of the natives, 
to pay rent to the proprietors under the charter granted to 
the duke of York. They considered their claim prior to 
his, and, therefore, refused to comply with his demand. 
So high did their resentment arise, that, in 1672, they re- 
belled against the proprietary government. But order and 
harmony were soon restored, and the proprietors quietly- 
resumed the exercise of their power. 

"Where was another settlement commenced in 1669 ? 
(2) Where is Port Royal ? 

Who was governor ? What city did he found ? 
(2) In what state is it ? In what part of that state ? 
What two colonies were united under Yeamans ? 
What division was made of Carolina ? Why ? 
Who prepared a constitution for the colony under Sayle? 
What act was passed in Maryland in 1671 ? Was this right f 
What interrupted the peace of New Jersey ? 
Cause of this dispute ? 
To what extremity did it lead ? 
8 



SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Surrender of New York to the Dutch. Connecticut. New Hampshire. 

England and Holland were engaged in a controversy, 
Vv^hich led to renewed hostilities in 1673. A Dutch fleet 
was immediately sent to America. The commander re- 
paired to New York, and demanded a surrender of all the 
territories formerly possessed by the Dutch. The fort was 
not prepared to resist so large a fleet, and the governor was 
obliged to surrender it and the city, and soon after the 
whole territory. 

The two nations were not disposed to prolong the war, 
and a treaty of peace was concluded during the next year, 
1674. New York was restored to the English, and a new 
patent given to the duke of York. Sir Edmund Andros 
was appointed governor. He proved tyrannical in his ad- 
ministration, and failed of securing the love of the colony. 

A part of the territory of Connecticut had been included 
in the territory granted to the duke of York. Andros 
soon made an effort to bring it under his jurisdiction. But 
the rulers of the state, aware of his intention, sent Captain 
Bull, in 1675, to defend Saybrook, before which Andros 
made his appearance in hostile array ; but fearing to cope 
with so powerful a foe, he returned to New York. 

In the same year, Robert Mason, grandson of John Ma- 
son, petitioned for the rights and privileges of his ancestors. 
Massachusetts, apprized of his intention, sent delegates to 
England to oppose this petition. Both parties appeared 
before the royal council; and the English judges decided 
in favor of the petitioner, and from that time Massachusetts 
was compelled to relinquish her claim to the towns on the 
Piscataqua. 

During this year, a bloody and destructive war corti- 
menced between the New England colonies and the na- 
tives, of which we give the following account, for much of 
which we are indebted to the Republic of America. 

What war is mentioned in 1673 ? How long did it continue ? 

To whom was New York next ceded ? 

Who was appointed governor ? 

What was his character ? 

What other province did he attempt to govern ? 

"^^Tic secured the right to New Hampshire ? When ? 

Who opposed him ? How decided ? 

What war commenced in 1675? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 87 

Philip's war. 

At the termination of the first half century from the arri- 
val of the emigrants at Plymouth, the New England colo- 
nies were calculated to contain one hundred and twenty 
towns, and as many thousand inhabitants. About sixteen 
thousand were capable of bearing arms. The habits of in- 
dustry and economy, which had been formed in less happy 
times, continued to prevail, and gave a competency to those 
who had nothing, and the prospect of wealth to those who 
had a competency. The wilderness receded before these 
hardy and persevering laborers, and its savage inhabitants 
found their game dispersed, and their favorite haunts in- 
vaded. This was the natural consequence of the sale of 
lands, which they were at all times ready to make to the 
whites. 

But this result the Indians did not sufficiently foresee ; 
and when they felt it in all its force, the strongest passions 
were awakened which could animate the savage breast. 
They were found ready to engage under any leader capa- 
ble of concentrating their energies. Such a leader they 
found in Philip, sachem of the Wampanoags. His fa- 
ther, Massasoit, had been friendly to the English. But be, 
foreseeing the increasing encroachments likely to be made 
upon Indian territory, evinced a strong disposition to arrest 
the progress of the English settlements. For this purpose, 
he visited most of the neighboring tribes, and aroused them 
to engage in war. The English, not aware of the extent of 
his efforts, made only feeble preparations for the approach- 
ing contest. They had been informed by Sausaman, a 
converted Indian, of Philip's designs. Sausaman was con- 
sequently murdered by the Indians. The English execu- 
ted three of his murderers. This enraged Philip, who 
immediately commenced the war by attacking Swanzey, in 
Plymouth colony. After slaughtering the cattle and plun- 
dering the houses, the Indians fired upon the inhabitants 

How many towns at the commencement of this war ? 

How many inhabitants ? What habits prevailed ? 

What caused the disaffection of the Indians? 

Who was the leader of the Indians ? What efforts did he make ? 

Who informed the English of the designs of Philip ? 

What became of Sausaman ? 

What did the English do to his murderers? 

What place did Philip attack ? (3) Where is it ? 



88 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Attack on Swanzey^ Pocasset swamp. 

and killed and wounded several. The troops of that colony 
marched immediately to Svvanzey, and were soon joined 
by a detachment from Massachusetts. The Indians fled, 
and marked the course of their flight by burning the build- 
ings, and fixing on poles by the way-side the hands, scalps 
and heads of those whom they had already killed. Such 
acts appear to us like the most wanton cruelty. Let us 
remember, however, that all the acts of war are cruel, and 
that those of which we complain, were incorporated with 
the systems of education among all the native tribes, and 
indeed among all barbarous nations. 

The commissioners of the colonies lost no time in rais- 
ing troops to prosecute the war. They sent a company to 
Stonington, to defend that town against the Indians. Efforts 
were made to conclude a treaty of peace with the Narra- 
gansets, who were suspected of being friendly to Philip. 
They acceded to the wishes of the commissioners, who 
promised to give forty coats to any Narraganset that should 
bring Philip alive to the English, and twenty coats for his 
head. The commissioners agreed, also, to give two coats 
for each subject of Philip, delivered by them alive to the 
English. Philip, on learning these facts, left his residence 
near Mount Hope, now Bristol, and took a stronger post 
near a swamp, at Pocasset. Here he was soon after at- 
tacked by the English, but repulsed them. The English 
lost sixteen men. The Indians were emboldened by this 
success, and being well acquainted with the situation of the 
towns and the circumstances of the inhabitants, were 
enabled to effect the most dreadful carnage and slaughter. 

Many colonists were shot dead as they opened their 
doors in the morning ; others while at w^ork in their fields, 
or travelling to visit their neighbors, or going to places of 
worship. Their lives were in continual jeopardy ; and no 

Give an account of the battle. 

What marked the retreat of the Indians ? 

"What is said of the character of savage warfare ? 

What did the commissioners offer for Philip's head ? 

What for each of his men when taken prisoners ? 

What was the result of an attack made on him ? 

What the loss of the English ? What effect on the Indians ? 

What was the fate of many colonists ? 

(3) Where are Mount Hope and Stonington ? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 89 

Battles at Brookfield, Deerfield, Hatfield, Bloody Brook and Springfield. 

one could tell but that, in the next moment, he should re- 
ceive his death-shot from his barn, the thicket or the way- 
side. Whenever the enemy assembled, detachments were 
sent against them. If weaker than these, they would re- 
treat ; if stronger, assault, harass or destro}^ them. De- 
fenceless villages were suddenly attacked, the houses burned, 
and the men, women and children killed, or carried into 
captivity. Their ruin was the v/ork of a momiCnt ; and 
when accomplished, its authors vanished. 

The colonists found their nunibers sensibly diminished, 
and their strength impaired, which taught them the neces- 
sity of united and vigorous effort. Philip, having retired 
from Pocasset, went to the territory of the Nipmucks, in 
the southern part of V/orcester count}', in Massachusetts. 
Captain Hutchinson, having been despatched to make a 
treaty with that tribe, was drawn into an ambush near 
Brookfield and mortally wounded. Sixteen of his men 
were killed. The Indians then rushed upon the town, 
setting fire to all the bouses, except one, to v/hich the prin- 
cipal part of the inhabitants had retired. Deerfield and 
Hatfield, immediately after, shared the same fate. Captain 
Lathrop, who had been despatched with a compaiiy to 
transport a quantity of corn from Deerfield to Hadiey, was 
attacked by the Indians at Bloody Brook. After having 
fought with great bravery against a superior force, he and 
almost his vvdiole company were killed. 

The success of the Indians acting under Philip, em- 
boldened others to join them who had been friendly to the 
English. 

In October, Springfield was attacked and burned. At 
the same time, an attempt was made to destroy Hatfield ; 
but the town having been garrisoned, the enemy were re- 
pulsed and fled to the Narragansets ; who, in violation of 

How did the Indians prosecute the war? 

What did the colonists now do ? 

Where did Philip retire ? Who was sent to that tribe ? 

What was his fate ? 

What towns were now destroyed ? 

What is said of Captain Lathrop ? His fate ? 

Who now joined Philip ? 

When wa5 Springfield burnt ? 

Where were the Indians repulsed? Where did they go? 

(3) Where are these towns ? 



90 SCHOOL HISTORF. 



Governor Winslow's march. Defeat of the Indians. 

their treaty, received them, and encouraged them in their 
attacks upon the English. It was now determined by the 
united colonies to make a vigorous attack upon that tribe. 
A large force was collected and placed under the command 
of Governor Winslow of Plymouth. Having entered the 
country of the Narragansets, he collected his forces at Pet- 
tyquamscoi. On the 19th of December, he commenced 
his march through a deep snow to the head quarters of the 
enemy, fifteen miles distant. 

The troops arrived at the enemy's fortress about one 
o'clock, which they found on a rising ground, in the midst 
of a swamp. The fort was constructed of palisadoes, en- 
compassed by a hedge nearly a rod thick. It had but one 
practicable entrance ; this was over a log or tree, four or 
five feet from the ground; and that aperture was guarded. 
Falling providentially on this very part of the fort, the Eng- 
lish captains entered it at the head of their companies. 
The two first, with many of their men, were shot dead at 
the entrance ; four other captains were also killed. When 
the troops had effected an entrance, they attacked the In- 
dians, who fought desperately, and compelled the English 
to retire out of the fort; but, after a hard-fought battle of 
three hours, the English became masters of the place, and 
set fire to the wigwams, to the number of five or six hun- 
dred, and in the conflagration many of the Indian women 
and children perished. Not less than four thousand were 
in the fort, one fourth of whom were killed. Three hun- 
dred warriors and many of the women and children were 
made prisoners. 

The surviving Indians fled into a cedar swamp, at a 
small distance, and the English retired to their quarters. 
Of the English there were killed and wounded about two 
hundred and thirty. 

From this blow the Indians of New England never re- 
covered ; but they still remained sufficiently strong to ha- 

Did the Narragansets receive them ? 

Under whom were the colonial powers placed ? 

To what place did General Winslow march ? 

How was the fort built ? Describe the attack made on the fort ? 

Result of the attack ? How many Indians were killed ? 

How many wigwams were burnt ? 

What became of the Indians who survived ? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 91 

Philip's perseverance and fate. KeHeciions on his dealti. 

Tass the settlements by continual inroads. The English 
sent several detachments into their territories, nearly all of 
Vv'hich proved successful, and many of the enemy perished. 
Their strong holds afforded them no permanent protection, 
while, at the same time, famine was wasting their strength. 
In the midst of these dire reverses, Philip remained firm 
and unshaken. His warriors were cut off, his chief men, 
his wife and family were killed or taken prisoners ; and his 
prospects were every hour growing darker, and though at 
these successive misfortunes, it is said, he wept with a bit- 
terness that proves him not to have been destitute of the 
noblest affections ; yet he disdained to listen to any offers of 
peace. He even shot one of his men who proposed sub- 
mission. Being closely pursued, he fled from swamp to 
swamp, to escape the hands of the English. He was at 
last shot, on the 12th of August, 1676, by the brother of 
the Indian whom he had killed. 

This event gave great joy to the colonists, as the harbin- 
ger of peace. How different are our emotions in view of 
it from those of men who suffered from his bravery, skill 
and enterprise. They considered his fall as that of a viru- 
lent and implacable enem3^ We see in it the death of a 
patriot, an ardent friend to his people, a statesman, and a 
mighty prince. We cannot wonder that it then excited 
universal joy and congratulation, as a prelude to the close 
of a merciless war ; while now it awakens in us sober re- 
flections on the instability of empire, and the cruel destiny 
of the aboriginal race. This event was the signal of a 
complete victory, and we may rejoice that our fathers were 
able to achieve it ; for while Philip lived, they could not 
be secure. Never was peace more welcome. 

In this short, but tremendous war, about six hundred of 
the inhabitants of New England, composing much of its 

What other attacks were made upon the Indians ? 

By whom ? What success ? 

Give an outHne of the character of PhiHp developed in these mis 

fortunes ? His fate ? 
By whom slain ? When ? 
What effect did these events produce upon aii the neighboring 

Indians ? 
How many of the inhabitants of New England had perished ? 



92 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Colonies' distress from ihis war. Navigation act. 

strength, were either killed in battle, or murdered by the 
enemy ; twelve or thirteen towns were entirely destroyed ; 
and about six hundred buildings, chiefly dwelling houses, 
were burnt. In addition to these calanaities, the colonies 
contracted a very heavy debt ; while, by the loss of their 
substance through the ravages of the enemy, their resour- 
ces were greatly diminished. In their deepest distress, 
they forbore to apply to the mother country for assistance ; 
but this omission excited both surprise and jealousy. " You 
act," said a privy counsellor, " as though you were indepen- 
dent of our master's crown ; and though -poor^ yet you are 
proud.'''' This was slander. But it shows that there was, 
even then, the dawn of that noble spirit of independencp: 
which has since characterized the country. 

The New England colonies, in their impoverished state, 
were destined to meet new troubles, and to encounter other 
difficulties. Complaints were brought against them the 
preceding year, by the merchants and manufacturers of 
England, for disregarding the navigation act passed 1651, 
which imposed restrictions on the commerce of the colo- 
nies. The governors of these colonies were, therefore, 
commanded to enforce a strict obedience to the commercial 
regulations. Commissions, empowering proper persons to 
administer an oath framed to secure the observance of 
those laws, were prepared in England and sent to this 
country. But these laws, being enacted by parliament, in 
which the colonies were not represented, were regarded as 
unconstitutional and unjust. The people continued to 
evade them so far as they could. This led the mother 
country to devise plans, which should bring the colonies to 
submit to her own terms. The time necessary to mature 
this plan was improved by the colonies in preparation for 
defence. 

In Virginia, the disaffection with regard to the naviga- 

How many towns were destroyed ? How many buildings ? 

What other effect resulted to the colonies ? 

Did they apply to the mother country in their deepest distress ? 

To what new trouble were the colonies subjected at this time ? 

How did the colonies regard these laws ? 

What were the governors of the colonies commanded to do? 

How did the colonies conduct in relation to these laws ? 

What did this lead the mother country to do? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES, 93 

Opposition. Bacon's rebellio n. 

tion act rose to the highest pitch, and was attended with 
dreadful consequences. The colony warmly remonstrated 
against it, and petitioned earnestly for relief, but without 
success. The discontent, far from being abated by the lapse 
of time, was aggravated by the constant pressure of the 
commercial restrictions. 

Various additional causes concurred to inflame the angry 
feelings of the colonists ; a native population considerably 
large had now grown up in Virginia, whose dissatisfaction 
was not mitigated by the fond remembrance which emi- 
grants retain for the parent state, the land of their 
nativity. A complication of exasperating circumstan- 
ces brought the discontent of the colony to a crisis. The 
indignation of the people became general, and was wrought 
up to such a pitch, that nothing was wanting to stimulate 
them to the most desperate acts, but some leader qualified to 
unite them and to direct their operations. Such a leader they 
found in Nathaniel Bacon. He was a lawyer, educated in 
London, of popular talents, artful and fearless. He was 
elected a member of the council a short time after his emi- 
gration to Virginia. Young, bold, ambitious, with an en- 
gaging address, and commanding eloquence, he harangued 
the colonists upori their grievances ; inflamed their resent- 
ment against their rulers ; and declaimed particularly 
against the languor with which the war, then existing with 
the Indians, had been conducted. Such was the effect of 
his representations, that he was elected general, by the peo- 
ple. To give some color of legality to his authority, he 
applied to the governor for an official confirmation of the 
popular election, and offered instantly to march against 
the common enemy. This, Berkley, the governor, firm- 
ly refused, and issued a proclamation commanding the 
dispersion of the soldiers under him. Bacon had ad- 
vanced too far to recede ; and he hastened, at the head 
of six hundred armed followers, to Jamestown, surround- 



What was its influence upon the colony of Virginia ? 

What only was requisite to lead the people to open rebellion ? 

V7ho headed the Virginia conspiracy ? His character? 

How did he gain power? 

Hov/ numerous were his followers? "Where did they march ? 



94 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Its termination. 

ed the house where the governor and council were 
assembled, and repeated his demand. Intimidated by the 
threats of the enraged multitude, the council hastily pre- 
pared a commission, and by their entreaties prevailed on 
the governor to sign it. 

Bacon and his troops then began their march against the 
Indians ; but no sooner were the council relieved from their 
fears, than they declared the commission void, and pro- 
claimed Bacon a rebel. Enraged at this conduct, he in- 
stantly returned, wdth all his forces, to Jamestown. The 
aged governor, unsupported and almost abandoned, fled 
precipitately to Accomack, on the eastern shore of the col- 
ony : collecting those w^ho were friendly to his ad- 
ministration, he began to oppose the forces of Bacon, and 
several skirmishes were fought v\^ith various success. The 
followers of Bacon burned Jamestov/n, laid waste those dis- 
tricts of the colony which adhered to the governor, and 
confiscated their property. The governor, in retaliation, 
seized the estates of many of his opposers, and executed 
several of their leaders. In the midst of these calamities 
Bacon suddenly died. His follow^ers, now destitute of a 
leader to conduct and animate them, lost their sanguine 
hopes of success, and began to desire an accommodation. 
After a brief negotiation with the governor, they laid 
down their arms, on obtaining a promise of general 
pardon. 

Thus terminated an insurrection, which, in the history of 
Virginia, is known by the name of Bacon's rebellion. 
During seven months Bacon was master, and the governor 
was shut up in a rem^ote and thinly settled part of the 
colony. 

Li addition to the cause already referred to, the preju- 

What did they compel the governor to do ? 

Where did they then proceed ? 

What did the council of Virginia do when relieved of their fears ? 

AVhat did Eacon do v/hen he heard of it ? 

What did Berkley do in these circumstances ? 

What did Bacon then do ? 

What did the governor then do, by way of retaliation ? 

What finally put an end to the rebellion? 

How long was Bacon master of the colonv ? 



INDIAN HOSllLITIES. 95 

Auxiliary causes of disaffection. Cliarler of Va. Dispute about Maine. 

(licial influence of the " navigation laws," the popular com- 
motion was probably much influenced by the extremely 
low price of tobacco, on the cultivation of which many 
depended for their support. The splitting of the terri- 
tory into proprietories, contrary to the original charters ; 
the heavy taxes to which the colonists were subjected; 
and the ineffective manner in which the governor and 
council had protected the inhabitants against the Indians, 
all united to prepare the way for these disasters. They 
are said to have injured the colony to an amount not less 
than four hundred thousand dollars. 

The government of England, becomiing sensible of 
the grievances of Virginia, was about to grant her a 
new charter, with extensive privileges. Every formality 
had passed but that of annexing the seal, when the news 
of Bacon's rebellion reached them. The consequence 
may be easily inferred. After the restoration of tran- 
quillity, a charter was, however, granted in 1677, but with 
restricted powers ; the suppressed charter having secured 
the people from British taxation, and the one granted 
expressly allowing it. 

During this year, a controversy, of long standing, be- 
tween the heirs of Ferdinando Gorges and Massachusetts, 
in relation to the district of Maine, was decided against 
Massachusetts. Hence she purchased from the proprie- 
tors their right to that territory, for twelve hundred and 
fifty pounds. From this time till 1820, this province 
continued under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. 

Andros, governor of New York, the same yea.Y sent a 
sloop with some forces to this province, and built a fort. 
The eastern Indians, who, until this time, had been hostile 
from the commencement of Philip's war, now discovered a 
pacific disposition. All the succeeding autumn and win- 

What other causes led to Bacon's rebellion ? 

To what amount did it injure the colony ? 

What evils resulted from its being known in England ? 

When was the suppressed charter at length granted to Virginia ? 

With what restrictions ? 

What controversy was settled this year ? What its result ? 

Where did Andros erect a fort in 1677 ? 

What disposition was manifested by the Indians ? 



96 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

New Jersey. 



ter. they remained quiet, and lived ift harmony with the 
new garrison. In 167S, during these auspicious circum- 
stances, a treaty was made at Casco between the chiefs 
of those Indians, authorizing colonial commissions, and 
putting an end to a long and distressing war. 

Lord Berkley, who, in common with Sir George Carteret, 
took possession of New Jersey in 1664, sold his share to 
Edward BilHnge ; who, being embarrassed with debts, 
soon sold it again for the benefit of his creditors. It next 
fell into the hands of William Penn and his associates. 
The difficulties arising from their joint possession with 
Carteret induced them, in 1676, to divide their territory. 
Carteret took the sole proprietorship of East Jersey, and 
Penn and his associates of West Jersey. The latter was 
subdivided into one hundred shares and sold separately, 
a subdivision which was for many years a source of angry 
dispute. 

But in 1678 the government of East and West New 
Jersey was usurped by Andros, governor of New York. 
This was opposed by the proprietors. Hence Andros 
seized them and made them prisoners. He proceeded to 
lay a duty on all importations, and also on the property of 
those who became settlers in the province. The people 
united in resisting these oppressions, and the proprietors 
demanded satisfaction. The grievances were heard by the 
commissioners, who decided against the legality of the taxes, 
and the proprietors were reinstated in the government. 
They appointed Edward Billinge governor, who, in 1681, 
called the first general assembly in West Jersey. The 
next year, Carteret conveyed East Jersey to William Penn 
and some of his Quaker brethren. They appointed Rob- 
ert Barclay governor. But the peace and prosperity of the 

What treaty the next year ? 

"Who took possession of New Jersey in 1664 ? 

Into whose hands did it next fall ? 

Why was it divided ? When ? 

What were the two parts called ? Which was subdivided ? 

What was the effect of this ? 

When did Andros usurp the government of New Jersey ? 

Who opposed him ? What did he do to them ? 

In whose favor did the council decide ? Who became governor ' 

What change the next year ? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 97 

Government of New Hampshire. 

province were interrupted for many years by the conflict- 
ing claims of the owners of the small estates, into which 
it had been previously divided. 

In 1679, New Hampshire was separated from Massa- 
chusetts, and was constituted a royal province. The king 
appointed a governor and council. The house of assem- 
bly was chosen by the people. Considerable difficulty- 
followed between New Hampshire and Massachusetts, in 
deciding on their respective boundaries. The first as- 
sembly in New Hampshire, consisting of eleven mem- 
bers, met at Portsmouth, March 16th, 1680. At this 
session a "code of laws was adopted, of which the first, 
in a style worthy of freemen, declared ' that no act, law, 
or ordinance, should be imposed by the inhabitants of the 
province, but such as should be made by the assembly, and 
approved by the president and council.' " About this time, 
Mason arrived from England, and, under the title of lord 
proprietor, claimed the right to the soil. This roused 
the opposition of the settlers, and a bitter controversy 
ensued, which was at length decided in favor of the settlers. 

We are now to notice the commencement of a new and 
most interesting settlement. In 1681, the foundation of 
Pennsylvania was laid, by William Penn. This settle- 
ment being commenced specially for religious purposes, 
the character of its founder claims a momentary attention. 
He was a son of Admiral William Penn, well known in 
English history. While a student at Oxford, he was 
deeply impressed with the sentiments of an itinerant 
preacher of the denomination of Quakers. Knowing that 
society to be persecuted, he seems on this account, at first, 
to have espoused their cause. He did this with so much 
earnestness as to produce his expulsion from college. His 
father, finding other means of reclaiming him ineffectual, 
" sent him to France in company with other young men 

What still disturbed the peace ? 

Where was the first assembly in New Hampshire held? 
When ? What act did the assembly pass ? 
When was Pennsylvania founded ? By whom ? 
Give an outline of his character, &:c. His religious belief, &c. 
What treatment did he receive at Oxford in consequence ? 
Where was he sent at this time by his father ? 
9 



9S SCHOOL HISTORY, 

Settlement of Pennsylvania. Charter of Pennsylvania. Settlers. 

of quality." After his return, he evinced increased zeal 
in behalf of the sect whose cause he had espoused. Hav- 
ing been disowned and abandoned by his father, he be- 
came a Quaker preacher, and gained many proselytes. 
He bore persecution and imprisonment with such fortitude 
and patience, as finally to lead to a reconciliation on the 
part of his father, who, at his death, left to him his estate. 

The attention of Penn was directed to colonization by 
his connection with New Jersey, which we have already 
noticed. " While engaged in the government of that ter- 
ritory, he acquired information concerning the country 
situated west of the Delaware. This led to a desire of 
acquiring an estate in that quarter. He therefore pre- 
sented a petition to Charles II., urging a claim for a debt 
incurred by the crown to his father, and soliciting a grant 
of land north of Maryland, and west of the Delaware. 
After a conference with the Duke of York and Lord Bal- 
timore, to ascertain that the grant would not interfere 
with any prior claim of theirs, a charter, making convey- 
ance of that territory, was signed and sealed by the king, 
March 4th, 1681. It constituted William Penn and his 
heirs true and absolute proprietaries of the province of 
Pennsylvania, reserving to the crown their allegiance and 
the sovereignty. It gave him, his heirs and their deputies, 
power to make laws, by advice of the freemen, and to 
erect courts of justice for the execution of those laws, pro- 
vided they were not repugnant to the laws of England. 

" The charter being thus obtained, Penn invited purchas- 
ers by public advertisement. Many single persons, and 
some families, chiefly of the denomination of Quakers, 
were induced to think of a removal ; and a number of 
merchants and others, forming themselves into a company, 
purchased twenty thousand acres of this land. About this 

What were his feelings on his return ? 

How treated by his father ? What did he do ? 

What led to a reconciliation with his father ? 

What estate did he inherit ? 

What attracted the attention of Penn to the subject of colonization ? 

What petition did he present to Charles II. ? 

With what success ? When M^as the patent granted ? 

With what powers did the grant invest Penn and his heirs ? 

What did Penn next do ? What was the result ? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 99 

Government of Pennsylvania. 

time, the Duke of York conveyed to William Pemi grants 
of two other territories which were contiguous to Pennsyl- 
vania, and which were united with it." 

In May, 1681, Penn despatched Markam, a relative, 
with a few associates, to take possession of the newly 
granted territory ; and in the autumn, three ships, with a 
considerable number of emigrants, sailed for the same 
territory. The philanthropic proprietor sent a letter to 
the Indians, informing them that " the great God had 
been pleased to make him concerned in their part of the 
world, and that the king of the country where he lived 
had given him a great province therein, but that he did 
not desire to enjoy it without their consent; that he was a 
man of peace, and that the people whom he sent were of 
the same disposition ; and if any difference should happen 
between them, it might be adjusted by an equal number 
of men chosen on both sides." The place selected by 
these emigrants for their abode, was just above the conflu- 
ence of the Schuylkill and the Delaware. 

In the following April, Penn published a frame of 
government for Pennsylvania. The chief intention of 
this famous document was declared to be, " for the support 
of power in connection with the people, and to secure the 
people from the abuse of power. For, liberty without 
obedience is confusion, and obedience without liberty is 
slavery." " In prosecution of these salutary objects, the 
chief aim of the proprietors was to establish the supreme 
power, legislative and executive, upon proper principles." 
The assembly, therefore, was to " consist at first of the 
whole of the freemen, afterwards of two hundred, but 
never to exceed five. A provincial council was establish- 
ed, consisting of seventy-two members, to be chosen by 

What other grant to Penn ? 

What did he do the next May ? What in autumn? 

What letter did. he send to the Indians ? 

What manner of settUng difficulties ? 

What spot was selected by these emigrants ? 

What did Penn do in April ? What some of its characteristics ? 

What the great aim of the proprietary ? 

Of how many freemen was the assembly to consist ? 

Of how many members the provincial council ? 

Bv M'ho'ii chosen? 



100 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Their irealraenl of the Indians. Fenn's colony, settlement and government. 

the freemen. Of these counsellors, there was to be an 
annual succession of twenty-four new ones ; the same 
number annually going out. The governor was to pre- 
side, invested with a triple vote. Thus composed, the 
council was not only invested with the executive powers, 
but, as in the Carolina constitutions, with the authority 
of preparing such bills as ought to be presented to the 
assembly. As a supplement to the frame of government, 
a body of laws, agreed upon in England by the adventur- 
ers, was published in May, which was intended as a char- 
ter ; and which, as an excellent writer justly remarks, ' does 
great honor to their wisdom as statesmen, to their morals as 
men, to their spirit as colonists.' " 

• In August, Perm himself embarked for America, accom- 
panied by a considerable number of settlers, chiefly of 
his own religious sentiments. He landed at Newcastle 
on the 24th of October ; and the very next day the people 
were summoned to the court house, where, after possession 
of the country had been legally given him, he made a 
speech to the magistrates and the people, acquainting them 
with the design of his coming, and the nature and end 
of the government he intended to establish ; assuring them 
of liberty of conscience and civil freedom, and recom- 
mending them to live in sobriety and peace. He then 
proceeded to Upland, afterwards called Chester, and there 
called an assembly on the 4th of December. This as- 
sembly passed an act of union, annexing the three lower 
counties to the province, and an act of settlement, in refer- 
ence to the frame of government. The Dutch, Swedes 
and other foreigners, were then naturalized ; and all laws, 
agreed on in England, were passed in due form. He se- 
lected the site, and marked out the plan of an extensive 

How many new ones annually ? 

Who presided ? How many votes had he ? 

T/ith what powers was the body invested ? 

What did they publish in May ? 

Y\rhen did Penn embark for America ? ^ 

By how many accompanied ? Of what denomination ? 

V/here did he land ? When ? What did he do the next day ? 

Where did he go then ? What did he there do ? 

What acts were passed by this assembly ? 

When did it convene ? Where ? What the result ? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 101 

His treatment of the Indians. His interview with them. 

city, to which he gave the name of Philadelphia, which 
signifies hrotherly love ; it had been previously called by 
the Indians Coquanoc. Before the end of the year it con- 
tained eighty dwelling-houses. 

" The colonies, in general, merit little praise for their 
wisdom and discretion in their conduct with the Indians. 
They were too prone to look on the wild man as an infe- 
rior being, and to set themselves up as lords over his 
rights and property, without remembering that they were 
intruders on his soil, or condescending to meet him, even 
in the land of his fathers, on equal and amicable terms. 
But the memorable interview of Penn with the Indians, 
on the banks of the Delaware, exhibited a different scene ; 
the even scales of justice, and the mild persuasion of 
Christian love, were the powerful engines, with which he 
swayed the barbarian mind, and taught the savage to con- 
fide in the sincerity of the white man ; and the first page 
in the annals of Pennsylvania is one of the brightest in 
the history of mankind, recording an event not more to 
the credit of the wise and benevolent legislator through 
Vv'hose agency it took place, than honorable to humanity 
itself. At a spot which is now the site of one of the sub- 
urbs of Philadelphia, the Indian sachems, at the head of 
their assembled warriors, awaited in arms the approach of 
the Quaker deputation. 

" Penn, distinguished from his followers only by a sash 
of blue silk, and holding in his hand a roll of parchment 
that contained the confirmation of the treaty, arrived at 
the head of an unarmed train, carrying various articles of 
merchandize, which, on their approach to the sachems, 
were spread on the ground. He addressed the natives 
through an interpreter, assuring them of his friendly and 
peaceable intentions; while the absence of all warlike 
weapons v/as a better attestation of his sincerity than a 
thousand oaths. The conditions of the proposed purchase 
were then read ; and he delivered to the sachems not only 

What city did he found ? What does the word mean ? 

Plow did colonists generally treat the Indians ? 

What was the conduct of Penn toward them, compared with 

that of most other settlers ? 
Give some account of the meeting of Penn and the India:is. 
9* 



102 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Their friendly intercourse. His dispute with Lord Baltimore. 

the stipulated price, but a handsome present of the mer- 
chandise which he had spread before them. He concluded 
by presenting the parchment to the sachems, and request- 
ing that they would carefully preserve it, for three gene- 
rations. The Indians cordially acceded to his proposi- 
tions, and solemnly pledged themselves to live in love with 
William Penn and his children as long as the sun and 
moon should endure." 

" The prudent conduct of Penn, together with his ex- 
traordinary reliance upon the protection of Providence in 
refusing to maintain an armed force, although surrounded 
by the warlike aborigines, was attended by a no less sin- 
gular exemption from evils arising to every other Euro- 
pean colony from the proximity of the Indian tribes. 
Whatever animosity the Indians might conceive against 
the European neighbors of the Pennsylvanians, or even 
against Pennsylvanian colonists who did not belong to 
the Quaker society, they never failed to discriminate the 
followers of Penn, as persons whom it was impossible for 
them to include within the pale of legitimate hostility. 

" Irrespectively of the pecuHar talents and character of 
the founder, none of the colonies commenced under such 
favorable auspices as that of Pennsylvania." 

The grant which had been made by Charles II. to 
Penn " included the territory of Delaware, which Lord 
Baltimore had always considered within the limits of 
his patent. On the arrival of "William Penn in America, 
a meeting took place between him and Lord Baltimore, in 
the hope of effecting an amicable adjustment of the 
boundaries of their respective territorial grants. But the 
pretensions of the parties were so completely incompati- 
ble, that it proved impossible at that time to adjust them in 
a manner satisfactory to both. Penn uhimately com- 
plained to the British government, and, by his interest at 
court, he secured a division of the territory into equal 
parts, one of which was appropriated to himself, and the 



What treatment did the followers of Penn consequently receive ? 

What meeting took place immediately after the arrival of Penn ? 

Its cause ? The result ? 

What meeting between Penn and Lord Baltimore ? 

The results ? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 103 

Prosperity of the colony. His second form of gov't. Dongan gov. of N. Y. 

Other to Lord Baltimore. This division was carried into 
effect ; and the territory which now composes the state of 
Delaware was thus dismembered from the provincial 
limits of Maryland." 

The experience of half a century " had disclosed the 
evils to be avoided and pointed out the course to be pur- 
sued by a new colony. The soil being fertile, the cli- 
mate temperate, and game abundant, the first emigrants of 
this colony escaped most of the calamities which afflicted 
the more northern and southern provinces, and the in- 
crease of population exceeded all former examples." 

" A second assembly was held at Philadelphia, during 
which Penn presented a second frame of government. 
To this he readily procured the assent of the assembly. 
It diminished the number of the council and assembly, 
and was in some other respects different from the first. 
Within four years from the date of the grant to Penn, the 
province contained twenty settlements, and Philadelphia 
two thousand inhabitants." 

In 1683, Thomas Dongan succeeded Andros as gov- 
ernor of New York, the latter having been removed 
the previous year. He convoked an assembly of dele- 
gates " consisting of a council and eighteen representa- 
tives. By the declaration of the governor, they were in- 
vested with the sole power of enacting laws and levying 
taxes ; but the laws could have no force until ratified by 
the duke." 

Previous to this time, the French began to extend their 
discoveries along the great lakes and the Mississippi. 
Mons. de la Salle, under the auspices of Louis XIV., had 
embarked from Rochelle, in France, during the year 

What was the comparative success of the Pennsylvania colony 

from its commencement ? 
When was the second assembly held at Philadelphia ? 
A^''hat did Penn do at this session ? 
How many inhabitants did the province contain within four years 

from the date of Penn's grant ? 
How many Philadelphia ? 

Who succeeded Andros as governor of New York ? When ? 
What assembly did he call ? 
With what powers invested? 
What discoveries had been made by the French previous to this 

time ? 



104 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Discoveries of La Salle. His second expedition Disputed claima. 

1678, on his first voyage of discovery. He reached 
Quebec, and proceeded up the St. Lawrence and lake 
Ontario, and erected fort Niagara, at the junction of this 
lake with Niagara river. From thence his course was 
through lakes Erie, Huron and Michigan, into the river 
St. Joseph's, and across the portage from this river to the 
Illinois. While here, he built a fort, and sent a Francis- 
can missionary and others to explore the country. They 
examined the Mississippi from the mouth of the Illinois 
to the falls of St. Anthony. 

" These discoveries were briskly prosecuted for a number 
of years, and were intimately connected in their results 
with the history of the colonies. 

" La Salle returned to fort Frontenac in 1680, on lake 
Ontario, and the following year revisited the fort on the 
Illinois, descended this river to the Mississippi, and pass- 
ed down that river to the gulf of Mexico. He returned 
to Quebec by the way of the lakes, and from thence to 
France. Another expedition was fitted out in 1684. 
La Salle, following his former course, proceeded to the 
gulf of Mexico, and built a fort fifty leagues south of the 
Mississippi, near the bay of St. Louis. On his return 
he was assassinated by one of his own party. 

"Upon these discoveriesof La Salle, the French claimed 
the whole country watered by the Mississippi and its 
branches, which, in honor of King Louis XIV., was nam- 
ed Louisiana. Spain claimed the same country on ac- 

When did La Salle make his first voyage of discovery ? 

Under whose auspices ? "What fort did he erect ? 

What was his course from thence ? 

Where did he build another fort ? 

Whom did he send to explore the country ? With what success ? 

What was the extent and effect of these discoveries on the colonies ? 

When did La Salle revisit fort Frontenac? 

When the fort on the Illinois ? 

Where did he go previous to returning to France ? 

When was another expedition fitted out by France ? 

Under whom ? With what success ? 

What the fate of La Salle ? 

Upon what grounds did the French claim the territory of the 

Mississippi river ? 
What name did they give this region ? 
What country did Spain claim ? 



i 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 105 

Mass, deprived of her charter. Governmental changes in the colonies. 

count of its discovery by de Soto ; and Great Britain 
also from its having been included in the patents of its 
colonies, and also from its alleged discovery by Colonel 
Wood, who had been sent from Virginia to explore it as 
early as 1654." 

During the progress of these events, it became apparent 
that the king of Great Britain meditated great changes in 
the colonial govnerments. These changes were commenced 
by proceedings against Massachusetts, in 1684. The in- 
habitants felt, that to be deprived of their charter, which 
secured to them the right of self-government, would be the 
greatest of calamities, and their agents were instructed in 
no emergency to surrender it. This being known to the 
king, " a prosecution was instituted against the corpora- 
tion, and a court of chancery decreed that the charter 
had been forfeited. The colony was obliged to submit, 
although the spirit of opposition was by no means re- 
strained. Thus this ancient colony was deprived of her 
charter, under which, for fifty-five years, she had enjoyed 
liberty and prosperity, though not without encountering fre- 
quent aggressions on the one, and experiencing incessant 
difficulties in retaining the other. But although the char- 
ter was gone, the spirit it had cherished, and the habits 
it had formed, were retained. These could not so easily 
be surrendered." 

" In 1685, on the 16th of February, Charles II. died, 
and was succeeded by his brother the Duke of York, 
under the title of James II. In July following, a quo 
warranto was issued against the governor and company 
of the colony of Connecticut, and a similar one, in Octo- 
ber, was issued against Rhode Island. Randolph was this 
year appointed deputy postmaster and inspector of New 
England, and on the 8th of October, King James issued a 
commission, in which Joseph Dudley, a native of Massa- 
chusetts, was appointed president of New England. 

On what ground ? 

On what ground did Great Britain lay claim to the same ? 

When was Massachusetts deprived of her charter ? Why ? 

When did Charles II. die ? 

What was issued July following? What in October ? 

Y/ho was appointed deputy postmaster of New England ? 

When ? Who was appointed president of New England? 

When ? By whom ? 



106 SCHOOL HISTOKY. 



Andros governor of New England. Prospects of war. 

" The following year, 1686, a writ of quo warranto was 
issued against the patent of Carolina, and against East 
and West Jersey. King James, determining to establish 
the same arbitrary rule in New York as he designed for 
New England, deprived that colon}- of its immunities. 
Dongan, whose commission as governor was now renewed, 
was instructed, among other articles, ' to allow no printing 
press.' The city was this year first regularly incorporated 
by a charter, and also Albany on the Hudson." 

In 1686, Sir Edmund Andros arrived at Boston with a 
commission fromx King James for the government of New 
England. To support his authority, a small military estab- 
lishment, consisting of tvv^o companies of soldiers, was form- 
ed, and military stores Avere transported. Before the ex- 
piration of a month, Andros, agreeably to his orders, dis- 
solved the government of Rhode Island ; broke its seal ; 
admitted five of its inhabitants into his legislative council ; 
and assumed the administration. The year following, he 
assumed the government of Connecticut. During this 
year, the attorney general received orders from King 
James to issue a quo warranto against the charter of the 
proprietor of Maryland ; but no judgment was ever obtain- 
ed against it. 

The government of Andros was arbitrary and unjust, 
but, for several years, there was no method by which re- 
lief from it could be secured. 

The movements of the French in Canada had led to 
an apprehension of war with that colony. But in conse- 
quence of the sickness of the French commander, the war 
was, happily for the colonies, delayed. 

In 168S, it being determined to add New York and 
the Jerseys to the jurisdiction of the four colonies of 

What was issued the year following ? 

or M^hat did King James deprive New York at this time ? 

What instructions were given to Governor Dongan? 

Yv^hat cities were this year regularly incorporated ? 

Vv'"hen did Andros arrive at Boston ? With what ? 

What measure was adopted to carry the government into operation ? 

What did Andros in relation to Rhode Island ? 

What the year following in respect to Connecticut ? 

What was the character of Andros' administration? 

Could it be rc.;:.istecl l>y the colonists for seve'^al years ? 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 107 

Addition of N. J. and N. Y. lo N. E. Condition of the colonies. King William. 

New England, a new commission was prepared in Eng- 
land, appointing Andros captain general and vice-admiral 
over the whole. 

The situation of the colonies, at the close of this year, 
was that of general prosperity, though various things seem- 
ed to be preparing the way for those severe trials which 
were before them. King James was a weak prince, and 
his government gave great dissatisfaction to the people of 
England, as well as to the colonies. The elements of 
revolution were prominent. It required but little political 
wisdom to perceive, that things would not long remain as 
they were. 

In November, 1688, James was forced to flee from his 
kingdom, by William, Prince of Orange, who had married 
Mary, his daughter. This intelligence was hailed with 
peculiar rapture in this country, as a relief to the oppres- 
sions of Andros, and the dawn of a brighter day to the 
colonies. Andros had assessed heavy taxes, invaded the 
rights of marriage, destroyed the titles of lands, and obliged 
the colonists to take out new deeds at an unreasonable 
price. But his day of oppression was over, and the colo- 
nists were once more to be free. 

What commission was prepared in England, 1688 ? 

What was the condition of the colonies ? 

What was the character of King James ? 

How was his government viewed in England ? In this country ? 

What oppressions were practised by Andros ? 

What happened this year in England ? 

Who succeeded him ? 



108 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Questions. 



GEOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONS. 

CHAPTER III. 

(3) Where is Greenwich, Connecticut ? Which way from Hart* 
ford ? (4) On which side of Delaware river is Newcastle ? (2) How 
is North Carolina bounded ? In what part of it is Albemarle sound ? 
In what state was Clayborne's rebellion ? In what town was a 
platform of church government formed in 1648 ? (3) Which way 
is that town from Boston ? In what part of Connecticut is New 
Haven ? (2) What event distinguished that town in 1654 ? Bound 
the Dutch possessions which Stuyvesant surrendered to Colonel 
Nichols in 1664. What states did this territory embrace? 
(4) Where is Clarendon ? What states are now embraced by the 
territory formerly granted to Lord Clarendon ? (2) Where is Port 
Royal ? Which way is it from Charleston ? (3) Describe Fiscata- 
qua river. Where is Swanzey ? Which way from Plymouth ? 
Where is Stonington ? Where is Bristol, formerly called Mount 
Hope ? Which way from Bristol is Worcester ? From thence to 
Brookjield ? To Deerjield ? Hatfield ? Hadley ? From these 
towns to Springfield ? (2) To what states is Pennsylvania conti- 
guous ? In what part ot it is Philadelphia ? (4) Which way from 
Philadelphia to Newcastle ? (4) To Chester ? Describe the tour of 
Mons. de la Salle in 1678, and tell the relative situation of the 
places he visited. (2) To what extent of country was the term 
Louisiana originally applied ? How is the present state of Loui- 
siana bounded ? 



CHRONOLOGICAL QUESTIONS. 

CHAPTER HI. 

For what is the period embraced in this chapter distinguished ? 
How many years does it include ? What length of the line does it 
occupy ? How many divisions longer is the line for this period 
than that for the second ? How many more years does it em- 
brace ? How much shorter is it than the line for the first period ? 
How many years less does it embrace ? What is the first impor- 




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INDIAN HOSTILITIES. lOS 

Questions. 



tant event in this period ? — Its date ? What were the causes of 
this union ? The terms of it ? What colonies did it include ? 
What took place the following year in regard to the settlements in 
Rhode Island and that at Saybrook ^ When was Clayborne's re- 
bellion ? — When was Carolina settled ? What is said of it ? How 
long after the rebellion in Maryland ? What events are noticed 
between these two dates ? When was Maine united to Massachu- 
setts? What event happened in Maryland the same year? And 
what was the cause of it ? What event, affecting the colonieSj hap- 
pened in England the next year ? When did the persecution of 
the Quakers in Massachusetts begin ? On the line how far is this 
date from the beginning of the period ? How many years, then, 
from the union of the New England colonies to the persecution of 
the Quakers ? How long before this had the Quakers been perse- 
cuted in Maryland ? What other religious sects were persecuted 
at the same time in Maryland ? The cause of their persecution in 
Massachusetts? — When was New York surrendered to the Eng- 
lish ? What other places w^ere surrendered at the same time ? How 
long was this after the settlement of New York ? What do you 
recollect of the events between this and the persecution of the 
Quakers ? Particularly of Gofife and Whalley ? Of the act of uni- 
formity ? When was Charleston settled ? — What other place set- 
tled two years earlier ? What was then the state of the southern 
colonies? What event distinguishes the year 1673 ? — How long 
was this after the English took New York ? How long did it re- 
main in the possession of the Dutch? When did Philip's war 
begin ? — How long after the Pequod war ? When did Bacon's 
rebellion commence ? How long after Clayborne's rebellion ? 
What was its cause ? Its progress ? Its termination ? What 
change in New Jersey the same year ? When did Penn begin the 
settlement of Pennsylvania ? — What events happened a little earlier 
in New Jersey and New Hampshire ? How long was this after 
the settlement of Carolina ? When was Massachusetts deprived 
of her charter ? What other similar changes about the same time ? 
The cause of them ? When did Andros become governor of New 
England ? What do you remember about him and his govern- 
ment ? When did William ascend the throne of England ? What 
feelings did this event excite among the colonists? How many 
whole divisions in the line for this period ? How much of the 
twelfth is included ? How much of the sixteenth ? How many 
events on the former ? Their dates ? Mention in their order the 
dates of the events on the thirteenth division, and tell what events 
you have associated with each. Do the same with those on the 
fourteenth division. On the fifteenth. On the first part of the 
sixteenth. 

10 



110 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Rumor of an loiended massacre in Bosion. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Embracing 24 years ; from the accession of William and Mary to 
the throne of England, 1689, to the peace of Utrecht, in 1713. 

WARS OF* WILLI AlVb AND MARY AND OF QUEEN ANN. 

i 

The state of Grea/t Britain had been unquiet for several 
years. The religious opinions of King James, a want of 
capacity to administer the government, and a manifest dis- 
inclination to do justice to all, laid the foundation of his 
own overthrow. TJ)^ people were familiar with the scenes 
which had taken j^lace in -the reign of Charles I., and 
would not submit to tyranny. 

In 1689, James abdicated the throne and fled to France. 
A report of this event, on reaching the colonies, produced 
great excitement, and led to the hope that William, jPrince 
of Orange, would ascend the throne. The New England 
colonists had borne the evils of the administration of Gen- 
eral Andros till they could endure them no longer. A 
report was circulated in Boston that the governor's guards 
were on the point of engaging in a general massacre of the 
citizens. The town and neighborhood were thrown into a 
great agitation, and immediately took up arms. Soldiers 
from the country hastened to their relief, and the streets 
were filled with armed troops. 

The governor and such of the council as had been most 
active in invading the rights of the citizens were, to the 
number of about fifty, seized and confined ; and the old 
magistrates were reinstated in office. 



How many years in the fourth chapter ? 

With what event does it begin ? With what does it end ? 

For what is it distinguished ? 

What occasioned King James' overthrow ? 

When did he abdicate the throne ? To what country did he flee ? 

What effect did a report of this event produce in the colonies ? 

What report was circulated at Boston ? What was its effect ? 

What was done with the governor and some of the council ? 



vvARS OF WM. AND MAEY AND OF QUEEN ANN. Ill 

Representative council. King William. Changes in the colonial government. 

The council, inviting others to join with them, took the 
title of '" A council for the safety of the people and conser- 
vation of the peace:" Mr. Bradstreet'was chosen their 
president. On the 2d of May, the council recommended 
that an assembly, by a delegation from the several towns 
in the colon)^, should meet on the 9th of that month. 
Sixty-six persons met, and having confirmed the new order 
of government, it was agreed that, on the 22d day^of^ the 
same month, there should be a meeting of the representa- 
tives of all the towns in the colony. Representatives from 
fifty-four towns promptly met at Boston on the ^day ap- 
pointed, and, after considerable discussion, determined" to 
resume the government according to charter rights." On 
the 24th, the governor and magistrates chosen in 1686 
signed a paper, declaring their "" acceptance of the care and 
government of the people according to the rules of the 
charter, until, by direction from England, there should be 
an orderly settlement of government." 

News soon after reached Boston that .King William- and 
Queen Mary had ascended tne throne. They were pro- 
claimed, with great ceremony, on the 29th of May, 1689. 
Addresses to the king and queen, and also applications for 
express authority to exercise the government according to 
the old charter, until a new one could be settled, were for- 
warded to England. 

When the news of Andros' imprisonment reached Rhode 
Island, the people met and voted to resume their charter, 
and to reinstate the officers who had been deposed by An- 
dros. The former magistrates consented to discharge the 
duties assigned to them under that charter. 

What was done by the new council ? 

What did they recommend in May ? 

When was the recommendation for an assembly of delegates ? 

When were they to meet ? How many persons met ? 

What was agreed on ? How many representatives met the 22d 

of May ? What did they at length determine to do ? 
What did they sign ? When ? 

When were William and Mary proclaimed king and queen ? 
What news reached Boston soon after? What addresses and 

applications were forwarded to the king and queen ? 
What did the people of Rhode Island vote to do, on hearing of the 

imprisonmnent of Andros ? 
What did the former magistrates consent to do ? 



112 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Other changes. Governmeiit of New York by Leis'.er and Milborne. 



Connecticut adopted a similar course, and the govern- 
ment was administered by the former magistrates. New 
Hampshire now wished to be united again with Massa- 
chusetts, but this was opposed by Samuel Allen, who had 
purchased the title of Mason, and owned much of the 
territory. 

In New York, great excitement prevailed. The people 
would gladly have proclaimed William and Mary, and 
while waiting for the news of their ascension to the throne, 
and while the magistrates were assembled to consult on 
measures of safety and expediency, a person by the nam.e 
of Jacob Leisler, at the head of about fifty men, seized the 
garrison, promising to hold it for William, the Prince of 
Orange. To this the council and other officers were gen- 
erally opposed ; but Leisler prevailed, and the governor 
fled. 

King William and Queen Mary were proclaimed at 
New York in June. The province was governed by a 
committee of safety, at the head of whom was Leisler. 
Milborne, his son-in-law, was his adviser and constant 
counsellor. Though destitute of the requisite qualifica- 
tions for making himself beloved, Leisler still was able to 
retain his station and to direct the affairs of the province. 
Those opposed to him in New York went to Albany, and 
there made a successful effort against his government. On 
the arrival of a letter directed to the " lieutenant governor," 
or to " such as for the time being take care for admin- 
istering the government," he assumed the authority and 
title of lieutenant governor, " called a council, and issued 
commissions in his own name." 

He now took measures to bring the people of Albany to 
submit to him. They held the fortress in the name of 
King William and Queen Mary, whom they had joyfully 

What course pursued by Connecticut ? 

"What were the people of New Hampshire desirous of doing ? 

What prevented ? Who seized the fort at New York ? 

What did he promise ? 

When were King William and Queen Mary proclaimed ? 

How was the province governed ? Who' at its head ? 

What effort was made against his government ? By whom ? 

When ? Of what assumption was he guilty ? 

What measures did he next adopt ? 



WARS OF WM. Als^D MARY AND OF QUEEN ANN. US 



Their capture of Albany. French and Indian war. 

proclaimed, but they were strongly opposed to the meas- 
ures of Leisler. 

A body of forces under Milborne was sent to reduce the 
fort at Albany, and bring the citizens to submission. Find- 
ing them determined to resist, he yielded to circumstances 
and returned. Having received a stronger force, he re- 
newed the attempt with greater success. The citizens, 
excited by fear of the Indians, and being unprepared for 
defence, abandoned the fort. Many sought safety by flee- 
ing to other colonies. Leisler proceeded to confiscate their 
estates, and commit other outrages, by which the feeling.? 
of many were exceedingly exasperated. They were pre- 
pared, when the time of his reverses should come, to exult 
over him as an outcast and a fallen tyrant. 

To all the colonies, the revolution in England furnished 
ground for high expressions of satisfaction; though, in 
man}?" of them, internal diificulties prevailed which were 
of a serious character. 

To the diuiculties in New, York and olher colonies, suc- 
ceeded the commencement of a most bloody and cruel war 
with the French and Indians, generally denominated King 
William'' s war. The movements of the French in Canada 
had for several years excited the apprehensions of the colo- 
nies. About this time a new governor Vv'-as appointed, and 
the province was better prepared to second the designs of 
France, long entertained, b-Jt hitherto delayed, 

James II. when expelled from England, being a Roman 
Catholic, took refuge in France, where he solicited aid to 
assist him in recovering his throne. The French king 
readily acceded to his wishes, which led, in 1690, to a 
declaration of v/ar between Ensfland and France. The 



Who was sent to reduce the people of Albany to submission ? 
With what success ? What was his ultimate success ? : 

Yv hat did Leisler do next ? What its efifect upon the people ? 
What the effect of ihe revolution in England upon all the colonies ? 
What followed the difficulties in New York ? 
What had the movements of the French in Canada excited m the 

minds of the colonists ? 
What event at this time better prepared the province to second the 

designs of France ? 
What did James II. solicit from France ? Why ? 
With what success ? To what did this lead ? 
How did this affect the colonies ? 



114 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Expedition against N. England. Attack on Schenectady. Depredations in N. H. 

colonies were involved in these difficulties, and became, at 
length, principally concerned in the war. 

The governor of Canada, having secured the cooperation 
of several tribes of Indians, planned three expeditions 
against the New England colonies in 1690. 

The frontier towns considered themselves secure during 
the winter, on account of the deep snows which covered 
the ground between them and the enemy. This false 
security proved fatal to Schenectady and some other 
places. 

On the 19th of February, 1690, a body of two hundred 
French and a number of Indians, having travelled nearly 
two hundred miles in the depths of winter, arrived at 
Schenectady in the night, and finding the town unguarded, 
divided themselves so as to attack every house at the same 
moment. The inhabitants were aroused by the breaking 
open of their houses, and the horrid war-whoop of the ene- 
my. But most of them awoke either to meet death on the 
spot, or experience a fearful captivity. Sixty were killed ; 
twenty-seven were carried away captives, and of those who 
fled almost naked through the snow to Albany, many 
perished, and nearly thirty who survived, lost their limbs 
through the severity of the cold. 

The enemy, after completing their work of death, set 
fire to the houses, and departed ; but they were pursued 
the next day, and twenty-five taken captives. The rest 
escaped. 

A short time previous to this, Indian depredations had 
been renewed in New Hampshire. That colony was 
doomed to drink deeper of this cup of affliction than al- 
most any other, and to see many of its most esteemed 
inhabitants fall by savage violence. Before the declaration 
of war, the Indians from the north and west, instigated by 
the French, had made many incursions and committed 
many outrages in this state. 



How many expeditions were planned against the New England 
colonies by the governor of Canada ? When ? 

Why did the frontier towns feel safe ? What the result of tlxis 
false security ? 

Give some account of the attack on Schenectady. 

When was it made ? How many killed ? 

How many made prisoners ? 



WARS OF WM. AND MARY AND OF QUEEN ANN. 115 



Attack on Dover. 



The attack on Dover, in 1689, was attended with un- 
common barbarity. The Indians had taken offence at the 
conduct of a Mr. Waldron, and were determined to re- 
venge it. 

They manifested their usual friendship for the inhabi- 
tants, and appeared so harmless as to be admitted to take 
lodgings in the houses. On the evening before the con- 
templated attack, they assembled in the neighborhood, 
and sent their women to apply for lodgings at the houses 
devoted to destruction. " When all was quiet, the doors 
were opened and the signal given. The Indians rushed 
into the house of Mr. Waldron, with whom they were 
offended, and hastened to his apartment. Awakened by 
the noise, he seized his sword and drove them back, but, 
returning for his other arms, he was stunned by a hatchet, 
and fell. They then dragged him into his hall, seated him 
in an elbow chair upon a long table, and exultingly asked 
him, 'Who shall judge Indians now?' After feasting 
upon provisions which they compelled the rest of the 
family to procure, each one with his knife cut gashes 
across his breast, saying, ' I cross out ray account.' When, 
weakened by the loss of blood, he was about to fall from 
the table, his own sword was held under him, which put 
an end to his tortures. At other houses similar acts of 
cruelty were performed : in the whole, twenty-three per- 
sons were killed, and twenty-nine carried prisoners to 
Canada, who were mostly sold to the French. Many 
houses were burned, and much property was plundered ; 
but so expeditious were the Indians, that they had fled 
beyond reach before the neighboring people could be col- 
lected." The French had offered premiums for scalps, and 
by purchasing the English prisoners, animated the Indians 
to prosecute their warfare. The sufferings of the frontiers 
were indescribable. 

In the winter of 1690, Frontenac, governor of Canada, 
sent three expeditions of French and Indians against the 
colonists. The first of these, against Schenectady, we 
have already noticed. The second, against Salmon Falls, 
now deserves our attention. 

Give an account of the attack on Dover. 

What artifice employed by the Indians ? Fate of Waldron ? 

How did the French excite the Indians ? 



116 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Attack on Salmon Falls. Expedition againal Canada. 

On the 18ih of March, an attack was made on this place 
by fifty-two French and twenty-five Indians, under the 
command of Sieur Hertel. They killed about thirty of 
the inhabitants, and took fifty-four prisoners. After setting 
fire to the houses, they marched back till they met the 
third expedition, against Casco. Joining this party, they 
succeeded in destroying the fort and settlement, killing the 
inhabitants or taking them prisoners. On their return, 
several children were barbarously killed, and one man, who 
had attempted to escape, was burned to death. 

Many other frontier settlements shared a similar fate 
during the following spring and summer. 

To check these barbarities, and others perpetrated in 
New England, a combined expedition against Canada was 
projected. An army, raised in New York and Connecti- 
cut, proceeded as far as the head of lake Champlain, 
whence, finding no boats prepared, they were obliged to 
return. Sir William Phipps, who had made a successful 
attack upon Port Royal and taken possession of the coast 
from thence to the New England settlements, sailed 
from Boston in 1690, for the St. Lav/rence, with a fleet of 
near thirty vessels. Landing a body of troops, he made an 
attack by land and w^ater upon Quebec ; but the return of 
the army to New York, allowing the whole force of the 
enemy to repair to the assistance of the garrison, made it 
necessary for him to abandon the enterprise. Leisler, 
transported with rage, when he was informed of the retreat, 
caused Vv^inthrop, who commanded the New England 
forces, to be arrested ; but he was instantly compelled, by 
universal indignation, to release him. It w^aS'to the mis- 
conduct or incapacity of Leisler and Milborne, the latter of 
whom, as commissary general, had made no adequate pro- 
Attack on Salmon Falls ? 

When ? How many killed ? How many captured ? 
What was inflicted upon the frontier settlements during the follow- 
ing spring and summer ? 
What method was taken to check these atrocities ? 
Where was the army raised ? Where did it proceed ? 
With what success ? 

What attack was made by Sir William Phipps ? 
What successful enterprise had he previously achieved ? 
When did he sail ? Why was this unsuccessful ? 



WARS OF WM. AND MARY AND OF QUEEN ANN. 117 _ 

Disquietude and poverty. New governor. Tiial of Leisler. 

vision for the expedition, that the faikire of the enterprise 
is to be attributed. Another difficuky resuUed from the 
failure. No adequate provision had. been made for the 
payment of the troops for a long- term of service. There 
was hence danger of mutiny. In this emergency, Massa- 
chusetts issued bills of credit, as a substitute for m.oney. 
These answered the purpose for which they were intended. 
Various things had served to render Leisler unpopular with 
the people of New York, and, through the efforts of the 
former governor, Nicholson, at that time in England, he 
was superseded by the appointment of Colonel Kenry 
Sloughter as governor. 

Leisler, a man every way unfit for so important an ofnce, 
rendered himself still more obnoxious, by his refusal to 
yield the garrison and government to the new governor. 
Two persons, whom he sent to confer with the governor, 
were taken and imprisoned as rebels. Being alarmed by 
this, Leisler attempted to escape, but was taken and brought 
to trial, with Milborne his son-in-law, and many others. 
They plead their zeal and energy in behalf of King Wil- 
liam, and their intentions of holding the country for him. 
But it was in vain. Popular indignation was high against 
men who had caused so much trouble. They were con- 
demned for high treason, and the governor, though reluc- 
tantly, signed the warrant for their execution. Their 
estates were confiscated, but afterwards restored to their 
•heirs. 

While the peace of the northern colonists was thus dis- 
turbed, the southern were not wholly free from commotions. 
In 1690, Seth Sothel, who had been governor of North 
Carolina, was obliged to abandon that colony. Presuming 
on his powers as proprietary, he proceeded to Charleston, the 
capital of South Carolina, and, aided by a powerful faction, 
seized the reins of government. " Such was the insa- 

What difficulty resulted from this failure ? 

Why were bills of credit issued by Massachusetts ? 

By what means was Leisler superseded in the government of New 

York ? When ? Who succeeded him ? 
What vras the conduct of Leisler ? What was the result ? 
What sentence was pronounced upon him and Milborne ? 
What revolution in Carolina in 1690 ? 
Who was the leader oi' the facuon ? 



118 SCHOOL HISTOEY. 



Sothcl in Carolina. Sloughler's adniini.stration. Expedition againsL Montreal. 

liable avarice of this man, that every restraint of common 
jastice and equity was trampled upon by him ; and oppres- 
sion, such as attends usually the exaltation of vulgar and 
ambitious scramblers for power, extended her rod of iron 
over the distracted colon3^ At length, the people, weary of 
his grievous impositions and extortions, agreed to take hi in 
by force, and ship him for England. He then evinced 
a meanness of spirit generally associated with a disposi- 
tion to tyrannize, and humbly begged liberty to remain in 
the country, promising to submit his conduct to the trial of 
the assembly at their first meeting. When the assembly 
met, thirteen different charges were brought against him, 
and all supported by the strongest evidence; upon which, 
being found guilty, they compelled him to abjure the gov- 
ernment and country forever." This was followed by gen- 
eral tranquillity. 

Sloughter's administration in Nevi^ York was terminated 
by his sudden death in July, soon after his return from Al- 
bany. His government was turbulent, inefficient and short. 
A conference which he held with the chiefs of the Five 
Nations, who had manifested some disposition to enter into 
a treaty Avith the French, v/as attended with beneficial con- 
sequences. The Indians expressed themselves willing to 
' brighten their ancient belt of friendship,' and renew their 
offensive and defensive league with the English. 

To put their friendship to the test, and to confirm it by 
calling it into exercise, " Major Schuyler, who possessed 
great influence with the chiefs, undertook, at the close of 
t!;e year 1691, an expedition against Montreal. The at- 
tempt did not succeed, as to the principal object of attack ; 
but the spirit of hostility was so intensely aroused in the 
Indians of the Five Nations, that they continued to wage 
Vvar on the French during the winter, though the colonial 
troops had retired. Count Frontenac was so exasperated 

His character? 

Character of his administration ? What was his fate ? 

When was Sloiif^hter's administration closed ? 

By what ? Its character ? 

What portion of his government appears to have been beneficial? 

What expedition this year i Successful? 

What did !he Fivo Na'ions do ? 



WAHS OF WM. AND MARY AND OF QUEEN ANN. 119 

iNew cti.irter of Massachusetts. Its riistrictcd privileges. i.<is i!t-c.im n. 



by their continued assaults, that he condemned to a death 
accompanied by all the torments French ingenuity could 
devise, two Mohawk captives, whom the fate of war had 
thrown into his power." This served to increase the hatred 
of the Mohawks toward the French. 

In none of the colonies did the revolution in England 
produce a greater change than in Massachusetts. " In 
1692, King Wilham, who had refused to restore its former 
government, granted a new charter, which extended its 
limits, but restricted its privileges. A new era in that col- 
ony commenced with the new charter. Massachusetts now 
embraced, besides the former territory, Plymouth, Maine 
and Nova Scotia. It extended north to the river St. Law- 
rence, and west to the Pacific ocean, excepting New Hamp- 
shire and New York ; and included also, Nantucket, Mar- 
tha's Vineyard, and the Elizabeth Islands. 

" The new charter allowed the people to choose their rep- 
resentatives, but vested in the king the right of appointing 
the governor, lieutenant-governor and secretary of the col- 
ony ; and of repealing laws. It authorized, in certain cases, 
an appeal from the tribunal of the colony to the king and 
his council. The legislature v/as now composed of three 
branches; the governor, appointed by the king ; the repre- 
sentatives, elected by the people ; and a council, chosen by 
the representatives; their choice, however, being subject to 
the negative of the gove'rnor. Other powers, equally dan- 
gerous to the people with that of negativing their choice o[" 
councillors, were by this charter intrusted to that magis- 
trate. He could reject all laws, appoint all military and 
judicial officers, and, at his pleasure, adjourn, or even dis- 
solve the assembly." 

These restrictions were intended to unite the people 
mors intimately to the crown, and to produce greater har- 
mony among the colonists. Little was known of the real 
character of the freemen of the province, or such an opin- 

Of what craelty v/as Frontenac guilty ? 

Its effect ? 

What introduced a new era in Massachusetts? 

Its extent at this time ? 

What was the character of the new charter ? 

What was designed to be accomphshed by these restrictions ? 



120 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Governor Phipps. Scruiiny of Penn. Witchcraft. 

ion could not have been entertained. Eesults directly op- 
posite to those designed by the government of England 
followed. For, instead of uniting the colonies more closely 
to the crown, restrictions irritated the people of Massachu- 
setts, and were, as will be seen hereafter, one of the princi- 
pal causes leading to the separation of the colonies from the 
mother country. 

In May, 1692, Sir William Phipps, who had been ap- 
pointed governor under the pew charter, arrived at Boston. 
He was cordially received, and entered immediately upon 
his administration. 

William Penn, while in England, was suspected by King 
William of holding a treasonable correspondence with the 
exiled King James. On vague charges to this effect, he 
Avas a number of times imprisoned, the government of 
Pennsylvania taken from him, and Mr. Fletcher appointed 
by the crown over that province. After the most severe 
scrutiny, Penn was found innocent of the charges brought 
against him. He was reinstated in the office of gover- 
nor, and enabled to prosecute his plans for benefiting the 
colony. 

The evils attendant on a merciless war with the French 
and Indians were still experienced, in connection with 
others arising from a loss of chartered rights and privileges. 
In addition to these, a new and unexpected source of trouble 
arose. 

A belief in witchcraft unfortunately prevailed among the 
colonists at that period. This was equally true of the peo- 
ple of England and other countries. The reformers in 
Europe were tinctured with it, and few if any were 
found willing to deny the existence of witches. Unfor- 
tunately, Massachusetts became the seat of a powerful and 
wide-spread delusion on this subject. The clergy and 
magistrates were brought under its influence, as powerfully 
as the most ignorant among the people. 

What their effect ? 

Who brought the new charter ? When ? 

To what office was he appointed ? 

What was the cause of Penn's imprisonment ? 

Who succeeded him this year in the government of Pennsylvania ? 

What Avas the I'esult of a strict examination into his conduct ? 

What strange infatuation in Massachusetts ? 



WARS OF WM. AND MARY AND OF QUEEN ANN. 121 

Witches tried and executed. Its rise a. id pronress. 

We can hardly wonder at this, when it is known that . 
the great Sir Matthew Hale, one of the most learned judges 
of the English bench, had said, that "a person who doth 
knowingly and willingly seek and obtain of the devil, or 
any other beside the true God, an ability to know or do 
strange things, or things which he cannot by his own hu- 
man abilities arrive unto, this person is a witch !" 

Of this delusion an excellent historian has given an 
account nearly as follow^s. The first trials in New Eng- 
land for witchcraft had occurred as early as the year 1645, 
when four persons charged with this crime were put to 
death. This allayed the spirit for many years. But in 
1688 it had been revived, and a few were executed for 
witchcraft in Boston and the neighboring towns, after an 
investigation conducted with a degree of solemnity that 
made a deep impression on the minds of the people. The 
suspicions of the people being thus powerfully awakened in 
this direction, the charges of witchcraft began gradually to 
multiply, till at length, in 1692, there commenced at Salem 
that dreadful tragedy, w^hich rendered New England for 
many months a scene of bloodshed, terror and madness, and 
at one time seemed to threaten the subversion of civil 
society. 

When some young persons, deceived partly by their own 
imaginations, complained of being affected in a strange 
manner, such cases were reported and magnified, until they 
became objects of universal attention. Those who experi- 
enced such affections becoming heroines in the circles in 
which they moved, perhaps encouraged others to set up for 
subjects of magical influence. Witches multiplied with 
the number bewitched, until it was in the power of almost 
any one to cause his enemy to be punished as a witch. At 
first witches were confined to a number of old women, w^ho, 
it was supposed, had leagued with the devil to torment the 
diseased with maladies, which, to a spectator, they really 
seemed to experience. 

Give some account of it. Its effects? 

What is the definition of a witch as given by Matthew Hale? 
When the first trials for witchcraft in Massachusetts ? 
How many M^ere put to death ? 
When was it again revived ? 
Give some particulars of its progress. Effects ? 
11 



122 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Discovery of the unsuilableness of attempts to suppress it. 

But the magistrates betrayed the greatest weakness in 
the manner of convicting these unfortunate individuals. 
They placed them in such a condition that " they had 
need to be magicians, not to be convicted of magic." They 
confronted them in the presence of their complainants, and 
asked them " why do you afflict these children ?" If they 
said " we do not afflict them," they commanded the children 
to look upon them ; when they would fall into convul- 
sions, and then declare they were thus affected by the per- 
sons accused. On such evidence were large numbers con- 
demned, until it ceased to be confined to old women. 
Witches were found of every age and every rank. More 
than a hundred females, many of whom sustained good 
characters, having been apprehended and examined, were, 
for the most part, committed to prison, while twenty actu- 
ally suffered death. None were safe, and the lives of the 
best were at the disposal of the most abandoned of the 
community. The people began to discover the im.position, 
and to be filled with remorse. All confined for witchcraft 
were set at liberty. One of the judges and several of the 
jurors, who had assisted at these examinations, made vol- 
untary and public confessions; and a day of fasting and 
prayer was appointed in view of their error, v/hich they 
now regarded as a sin. What an instance have we here 
of the weakness of human reason! There is scarcely any 
excess into which men may not be brought, when influ- 
enced by prejudice and passion, and headed by powerful 
and fanatical leaders. 

The courts held for the trial of witchcraft did not begin 
to perceive any injustice in their verdicts against these un- 
happy persons, until all the community were in danger of 
being convicted. They were thus forced, by the evils 
which followed their decisions, to make the inquiry whether 
they were doing right, and where these things would end. 

When sitting in judgment upon the conduct of men, we 
should carefully divest ourselves of prejudice, and every 
thing likely to bias our judgments. Let us not censure 

What the nature of the trial to which the bewitched v/ere subjected ? 

How many were committed to prison ? 

How many suffered death ? 

What put an end to this delusion ? 

What lessons may we learn from these delusions? 



r,-AllS OF WM. AND MASY AND OF QUEEN ANN. 123 

Gov. Fletcher. Phipps' expedition lo Nova iScolia. Expedition against Quebec. 

too severely the infatuation of that age, but let us rather 
remember that even in our own times credulity has en- 
couraged the publication of absurdities almost as glaring, 
and party spirit has excited tumults as really uncontrolled 
by reason ! 

While this delusion was raging on the coast, particularly 
iii the eastern part of Massachusetts, the north-eastern 
frontier was sufTerino- the rava^res of war. In 1692, Colo- 
ncl Benjamin Fletcher was appointed governor of New 
York. He was authorized to take charge of the militia of 
Connecticut, as well as of the troops in New York. The 
people of Connecticut opposed this measure, and immedi- 
ate!}^ appealed to the king, and despatched General Winslow 
as their agent, lo plead their cause before the parliament. 

In 1692-3, an enterprise was planned in Massachusetts, 
for carrying the war into Nova Scotia. K fleet Vvas fitted 
out at Boston, consisting of seven vessels and eight hundred 
men, to reduce Port Royal in Nova Scotia, and the territory 
of Acadia. The expedition was commanded by Governor 
Phipps in person, and proved entirely successful. A fort 
^vas built at Pemaquid, and the government of Massachu- 
setts extended over the territory. 

During the year 1693, an expedition was planned, in 
ivhich the New England colonies were to unite, against 
Quebec. A fleet of ships was to proceed fronn the West 
Indies, and carry troops from Boston, under the comnnand 
of General Phipps. By attempting too much, the whole 
proved a most unfortunate failure, and was attended with 
losses which the colonies were ill prepared to meet. 

In 1694, the French, with the Indians, in Canada and 
Nova Scotia, continued to harass and distress the frontier 
^ettlements, and prosecuted their attacks on the defenceless 



s 



Who was appointed governor of New York in 1692 1 
With what authority invested ? 
How did the people treat this measure ? 
V/hat enterprise about this time ? 

Who coramanded the expedition ? V7hat was its success ? 
Yv^here was a fort built ? (2) Where is Pemaquid ? 
Who ruled the colony subsequently ?^ • 
Vv^hat expedition was planned this year against Canada ? 
Why not carried into effect ? 

What course did the French pursue in connection with the Indians 
in 1694 ? 



124 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



French and Indian depredations, Carolina. Rice cullivaled. Nova Scotia. 

inhabitants of Maine and other colonies. The settlement 
on Oyster river was destroyed. Twenty houses were 
burned, and one hundred of the inhabitants murdered or 
carried into captivity. 

In 1693, at the request of the Carolinians, the constitu- 
tion prepared by Mr. Locke was abrogated by the proprie- 
tors, and each colony was ruled by a governor, council, 
and house of representatives. 

In consequence of continued dissensions in Carolina, 
between the proprietary government and the inhabitants, 
John Archdale, one of the proprietors, was sent from Eng- 
land in 1695, as governor of North and South Carolina, 
with full power to redress all grievances. He continued 
one year, during which he restored peace and tranquillity 
to the colonies. 

An event took place at this time, highly important to all 
the southern settlements. A vessel from Madagascar 
touched at Carolina. The captain had procured, and pre- 
sented to the governor, a bag of seed rice, and communi- 
cated at the same time instructions as to the manner of 
cultivation. This precious treasure was divided among 
several planters, and from this small beginning, the cultiva- 
tion of this vegetable became general, and has long been a 
staple commodity at the south, and beneficial to the whole 
country. 

Sir William Phipps, for the purpose of securing Acadia to 
Massachusetts, had erected a fort at Pemaquid, which was 
considered as controlling the whole of that province. 

The inhabitants, however, had been so long under the 
control of France, that it was perceived authority could 
be maintained only by a military force, which it would be too 
burdensome to support. The affairs of the English being 
thus situated, Villeborne, who was commissioned by the 
king of France as governor of Acadia, easily recovered 
Port Royal. In 1696, a force under Iberville was sent to 

What settlement surprised ? (3) Describe Oyster river. Result ? 

When Avas the constitution of Locke abrogated ? 

Who was sent over to settle ihe dissensions in Carolina in 1695 ? 

With what success ? How long did he continue ? 

How was the cultivation of rice introduced into Carolina ? 

What did Phipps do to secure Acadia to Massachusetts ? 

Of what did the French gain possession in 1696 ? 

WTio commanded the force sent against Pemaquid ? 

% 



WARS OP WM. AND MARY AND OF QUEEN ANN. 125 



The lords commissioners. AliacK on Haverlull, IVlusa. 

destroy the fort at Pemaquid. He was joined by the Baron 
Castine, who had long- been in the country, and, aided by 
Jesuit priests, had secured an unbounded influence over the 
neighboring savages, two hundred of whom engaged in the 
expedition. 

On the 14th of August, they commenced an attack on 
the fort. The garrison consisted of a number so small as 
to be unable to defend it, and soon surrendered the fortifi- 
cations. The fort was demolished, and the territory re- 
verted to the French. 

During this year, King William formed a new and stand- 
ing council for commerce and plantations, commonly styled, 
" the Lords Commissioners for trade and plantations." 
With this board the governors of the " American colonies 
Vv^ere obliged to hold a constant correspondence, for the im- 
provement of their respective governments ; and to this 
board they transmitted the journals of their councils and 
assemblies, the accounts of the collectors of customs and 
naval ofncers, and similar articles of official intelligence." 

The attacks of the French and Indians continued una- 
bated. In the winter of 1897, a party attacked Flaverhiil, 
?\Iass., and proceeded from house to house, killing cattle, as 
well as men, women and children, plundering and then 
burning houses, and taking prisoners. The Indians ap- 
proached the house of a Mr. Dustin, wdio, seeing them, 
mounted his horse, directing his children, seven in number, 
to flee for their lives towards a place of safety. Finding it 
impossible to save his wife, who had a young babe, be aban- 
doned his house and followed his children, intending to 
rescue at least one by fleeing with it on horseback. But 
he could not make a choice between them for this purpose, 
and determined to defend all or perish in the attempt. 
When the enemy came within reach, he faced about and 
fired upon them : then fled till he had overtaken his chil- 

By whom was he joined? When did the attack begin ? 
Character and course pursued by the Baron ? 
What council formed by King William this year? 
What communication were the respective governments of the colo- 
nies obliged to hold with it ? 
When was Haverhill attacked? Give some account of it. 
(3) Where is it ? 

Of the fate of Mr. Dustin and family. 
11=^ 



126 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Mrs. Duslin. The plan of the French ; its result. 

dren, when he turned and fired again. The savages pur- 
sued him in this way for a mile, till he reached a place of 
safety, and saw all his children, except the infant, free from 
peril. 

Mrs. Dustin was taken captive, and also her nurse. 
Feeble as she was, they forced her to dress herself and 
march with them. In a short time they killed her infant, 
and several of the prisoners. During the next April, Mrs. 
Dustin and her nurse, having been informed that they were 
to be stripped, and forced to run the gauntlet between two 
files of Indians, determined to end their sufferings or es- 
cape. The party with which they were consisted of twelve. 
During the night Mrs. Dustin awakened her companion 
and a fellow captive, and finding all the Indians asleep, 
they commenced the work of destruction and killed ten of 
their enemies. The other two escaped wounded. The 
captives then traversed the wilderness, and arrived in safe- 
ty in Massachusetts, where they were rewarded for their 
extraordinary achievement. 

Such were the sufferin,o-s to which multitudes were ex- 

O 

posed during the continuance of the Indian wars. 

The French in Canada now planned an attack on the 
English colonies which it seemed must prove fatal. A 
large fleet under the Marquis De Nesmond, a brave and 
distinguished officer, was sent from France in 1697, to co- 
operate in the design. De Nesmond was to proceed to 
Newfoundland, to secure the conquest which the French 
had made there, and then unite with Frontenac, the gover- 
nor of Canada; and with^him make an attack upon Bos- 
ton, destroy the settlements on the coast, and the shipping 
in the harbors. If the time allowed, he was directed to 
proceed to New York and subdue that place. " The troops 
under Frontenac were then to return through the interior 
of the country to Canada." 

A knowledge of these plans spread general consterna- 
tion in New England and New York. The colonists made 
every effort to defend themselves. But, fortunately, these 
efforts were not needed, as De Nesmond arrived too late in 

What expedition was planned by the French the next year ? 
Who commanded the fleet ? What his character ? 
What his instructions ? Why not executed ? 



WARS OF WM. AND MARY AND OF QUEEN ANN. 127 
Treaty of Ryswic. Kesulls of this war. Attempt to suppress piracy. 

the season for the accomplishment of his purpose, and 
this extensive plan was abandoned. 

In September of this ^^ear, the war was terminated by 
the treaty at Ryswic, in Holland. By this treaty it was 
stipulated that " France and England should mutually 
restore to each other all conquests made during the war. 
The rights and pretensions of each to certain places were, 
however, left indefinite, and were to be determined by com- 
missioners at some future day. Hence the country east- 
ward of the Kennebec, and the fisheries of Newfoundland, 
were open to the claims of both nations, and were after- 
wards sources of controversy. 

" In December, the peace of Ryswic was proclaimed at 
Boston, and hostilities with the French in Canada imme- 
diately ceased. The Indians continued their depredations 
a short time ; but in the course of the next year, general 
tranquillity was restored." The expenses of the war 
were very heavy, but the loss of life still more distressing. 
Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts suffered much 
more than Nevv' York, the frontiers of which were in a 
great degree saved by the Five Nations ; over whom 
Major Schuyler possessed such influence, as to defeat the 
exertions of Frontenac to estrange them from the English. 
But for this, more dreadful depredations would have been 
made, and a greater loss of life and property must have 
been experienced. 

The next year, 1698, the Earl of Bellamont, who had 
some time before been appointed governor, arrived at New 
York. He immediately commenced efforts to check 
pirates in the waters bordering on the coasts. Great bold- 
ness was evinced by these sea robbers, and commerce had 
been greatly injured. The governor applied to govern- 
ment for aid. Being unsuccessful in the application, he 
determined to do what could be done by a private effort. 
Several united with him for this purpose. 

Where was the treaty of Ryswic concluded ? 
(1) Where is Ryswic ? What the stipulations of this treaty ? 
When v.'as the peace of Ryswic proclaimed at Boston ? 
How long after this treaty did Indian hostilities continue ? 
Etfects of King William's war upon Massachusetts and New Hamp- 
shire ? 
When was the Earl of Bellamont appointed governor of New York ? 
In what undertaking did he engage ? 



128 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Hi result. Captain Kidd. Exciteineut occasioned by him. His death. 

Among these, Lord Chancellor Summers and the Duke 
of Shrewsbury are mentioned. The king so far approved 
the plan, as to contribute a sum sufficient to pay one tenth 
of the expenses. But, unfortunately, they employed as 
master of the vessel fitted out for the service a man 
without principle, who himself turned pirate. This was 
Captain Kidd, a brave but a very wicked man. 

After three years he burned his ship and returned, and, 
with a strange infatuation, appeared in public at Boston. 
The Earl of Bellamont wrote to the secretary of state, 
desiring that Kidd might be sent for, and a man of war 
was despatched on this service ; but being driven back 
by a storm, a general suspicion prevailed in England 
that there was a private connection between the adven- 
turers and the ministry, who were thought unwilling to 
produce Kidd, lest he might expose the chancellor and 
the other associates supposed to be confederates in the 
piracy. 

So powerful was this feeling, that a motion was made 
in "the house of commons that all who Avere concerned 
ill the adventure might be deprived of their employments; 
but this motion was rejected by a great majority, and all 
subsequent attempts to implicate the unfortunate share- 
holders only served to prove, more satisfactorily, their en- 
tire innocence of any participation, either in the designs 
or profits of Captain Kidd. Their imprudence in select- 
ing a person whose previous character was very indiffer- 
ent, was evident and undeniable. Ultimately Kidd was 
conveyed to England, where he was tried and executed. 
The memory of this daring pirate was long continued, by 
the circumstance of a prevalent belief that he buried large 
sums of money in various places, which he obtained dur- 
ing his piracies. The search for these treasures is not to 
this day entirely abandoned. 

The efforts of Bellamont to check piracy were not very 

Who were concerned with him ? 

To whom was the command of the vessel given ? 

What did Kidd become ? What did he afterwards do ? 

What suspicion was entertained in England ? Why ? 

What had been the previous character of Kidd ? 

What his fate ? To what story did his adventures give rise ? 

Whal was the success of Bella mont's efforts to check piracy ? 



WARS OF WM. AND MARY AND OF QUEEN ANN. 129 

WiUiatnsburgh. Dispute about fisheries. Jciiuits. 

successful. He encountered many trials and difficulties 
ill the administration of the government. 

Colonel Nicholson, in 1698, was appointed governor of 
Virginia. He removed the assembly from Jamestown to 
Middle Plantation ; where he laid out a town with streets, 
in the form of a W, which he called Williamsburgh. 
" During this year, the assembly of Maryland, to allay 
Indian excitements, passed an act, granting a certain tract 
of land in Dorchester county to two neighboring sachems, 
who with their subjects were to hold it under the lord 
proprietary, upon the yearly rent of one beaver skin." 

Some changes were effected in Connecticut durmg this 
year, by which the governor and magistrates formed one 
house, and the representatives another branch of the as- 
sembly. 

" The peace of Ryswic was scarcely proclaimed in 
New E'figiand, when the French gave proof that they 
intended to make themselves sole proprietors of the fish- 
ery, and to restrain the English from the possession of any 
part of the country east of the Kennebec. It was under- 
stood by the English court, that, by the treaty, all the 
country west of the St. Croix was to remain to the Eng- 
lish, as being w^ithin the bounds of the province of Massa- 
chusetts Bay. The French court immediately' asserted an 
exclusive right to the fishery on the sea coasts, and to all 
the inland country ; and its agents in America were 
prompt to enforce its claims, thus laying the foundation 
for continued strife, and eventually for another war." 

Severe laws were passed in Massachusetts and New 
York in 1700, against Jesuits and popish priests. The 
reasons for them v/ere these. French Jesuits had secured 

Who became governor of Virginia this year ? 

To what place did he remove the assembly ? 

What town did he lay out ? (4) Where is it ? 

What act was passed this year by Maryland ? 

What change this year in the assembly at Connecticut ? 

Y/hat was the disposition of the French shortly after the peace of 

Ryswic ? 
How was that treaty understood by the English? 
Wliat did the French court assert? What effects resulted? 
What laws passed the legislatures of New York and Massachusetts 

in 1700 ? Were they riglit ? 



130 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Disaffection in iS'ew Jersey. Gov. Dudley. His diaicult y with the assembly. 

great influence over many of the natives. It was believed 
that, among other things, they used great efforts to excite 
the Indians to acts of hostility against the colonists. All 
such priests were banished from Massachusetts, and if 
found in New York were to be hung. 

Many troubles were experienced in New Jersey from 
the large number of proprietors who owned the territory. 
Dissatisfaction prevailed to such an extent, that the pro- 
prietors resigned the government to the crown in 1702. 

William died during this year, and v>^as succeeded by 
Ann, daughter of James II. She caused "West Jersey to 
be united to East Jersey, and appointed Lord Cornbury 
governor. This gave general satisfaction. 

An experiment was made during the same year, which 
served to produce still greater disaffection with the mother 
country. Sir Joseph Dudley was appointed governor of 
Massachusetts. The queen instructed him, instead of re- 
ceiving the voluntary support raised as heretofore by vote 
of the assembly, to demand for himself, and the other 
officers of the crown, a fixed and permanent salary. 

This originated in the fears of the mother country, 
that, by leaving the colonial governors dependent on the 
pleasure of the assembly for support, they would be lia- 
ble to be influenced more by the wishes of the colonists, 
than the interests of the crown. 

AVhen the governor presented his instructions to the 
assembly, they declined complying with them, declaring 
that it v/as contrary to their constitution. 

The same demand was made in other colonies, and in 
general was complied with. But Massachusetts still per- 
sisted in denying the legality of the demand, and the 
governor was obliged to yield the point to the colonists, 

^I'hy ? What at this time caused many troubles in New Jersey ? 

vVhat v.-as the consequence ? 

VVhat union took place ? 

When did Ann succeed to the throne of England? 

What new governor of r»rassachusetts arrived this year? 

With v^^hat instructiuns from the queen ? 

W\\y did she give these instructions? 

Hovv did the assembly receive them ? 

Was the same attempt successful in the ether colonies ? 

"What rysultol from this rcA-hal on the part of Massachusetts ? 



WARS OF WM. AND MARY AND OF QUEEN ANN. 131 

Dispiueil cl:iims. Aiin'^ war. Expeaitioiis ui the feouth. 

and receive his salary as before. War being renewed 
between France and Great Britain, the attention of all 
parties was turned to that subject. 

" The peace of Ryswic was of short duration. Louis 
XIY. had violated former treaties by placing his grand- 
son, the Duke of Anjou, on the throne of Spain, and pro- 
claimed as king of England, Charles Edward, the son of 
James 11. commonly called the Pretender. In America 
he claimed not only all Acadia, but gave orders to Ville- 
borne, his governor, to extend the limits as far as Ken- 
nebec. He claimed also the exclusive right to the fish- 
eries on the coast, and gave express orders for the seiz- 
inof of all Eno:lish vessels which should be found fishing 
upon them." 

In May, 1702, the year in which Queen Ann ascended 
the throne of England, that government declared war 
against France and Spain. Both the latter, as well as 
the former, had colonies in America, and the cause of hos- 
tilities related in part to these colonies ; and hence Ameri-- 
ca became the principal seat of the war. This is gener- 
ally styled Queen A?i7i's war. 

One of the earliest expeditions of the colonies in this 
war was that conducted by Governor Moore, of South 
Carolina, against St. Augustine in Florida. He was un- 
successful, and returned in disgrace. But, to silence the 
reproaches of his fellow citizens and to secure their confi- 
dence, he planned another expedition against the Appala- 
chian Indians, who had espoused the cause of the Spanish. 
In this expedition he was successful. He marched through 
their country in triumph, and laid waste their towns and 
villages. Some of the captives he employed in the culti- 
vation of his land, and others he sold for personal emol- 
ument. 

At this time a change took place in the religious con- 
dition of this state. " Twenty lay commissioners were con- 

Whom did Louis XIV. put on the throne of Spain ? 

Whom did he proclaim king of England? 

What new claims did he assert in America ? 

What war was declared at this time ? 

Why did i\merica become involved in this war ? 

What expedition the next year ? By whom ? 

Why ? With what success ? (2) Where is St. Augustine ? 



132 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Religion in S. C. N. E. Duty on imported negroes. Deerfield assaulted. 



stituted a corporation, for the exercise of ecclesiastical 
jurisdiction, with full power to deprive ministers of their 
living at pleasure. An act was passed by the legislature 
to incapacitate every person from being a member of any 
general assembly, who should be chosen in future, unless 
he had partaken the sacrament of the Lord's Supper accord- 
ing to the rites of the church of England." 

While the southern colonies encountered the Spaniards 
and their Indian allies, those at the north were meeting a 
more formidable foe in the French and Indians of Canada. 
These Indians, instigated by the French, violated their 
treaty, by which they had bound themselves to remain at 
peace with the New England colonies, and in the most 
savage manner ravaged the country from Casco to Wells, 
and destroyed its peaceful inhabitants. 

An act of the assembly of Massachusetts, this year, 
deserves particular mention. The assembly laid a duty 
of four pounds on every negro imported into the colony ; 
and both the vessel and master were made answerable for 
its payment. Thus early did this state evince opposition to 
that system, which by its continuance has been fraught 
with so great evils. 

" In the night of the twenty-eighth of February, 1704, a 
body of three hundred French and Indians made a violent 
assault upon the town of Deerfield, in Massachusetts. 
The sentinel was asleep ; and the snow was of such 
depth, as to admit an entrance over the pickets of the fort, 
into the centre of the town. The assailants availed 
themselves of these advantages, fell instantly on the un- 
guarded inhabitants, and in a few hours slew forty-seven, 
and took about one hundred prisoners. Setting fire to the 
town, they left it in a conflagration, and proceeded with 
the captives to Canada. Among the captives were Rev. 
Mr. Williams and his family. Mrs. Williams and some 
twenty other prisoners were murdered by the way, which 

"What change in the religious condition of the colonies ? 

What was the state of the northern colonies? 

What duty was this year laid by Massachusetts? 

When was Deerfield assaulted ? Mention the particulars. 

(3) Where is Deerfield ? 

How many murdered ? Taken prisoners? 

How many murdered by the way ? 



WARS OF WM. AND MAiiY AND OF QUEEN ANN. 133 

Mews Letter. Kxchange of prisoners. Invasion of the South, 

was but little more dreadful than the fate of those wlio 
survived. Colonel Benjamin Church, roused by the inhu- 
manities committed on the inhabitants of Deerfield, took 
his horse and rode seventy miles, to wait on Governor 
Dudley, and offer his services in behalf of his country. 
By order of the governor he planned an expedition to the 
eastern shore of New England ; and sailed from Boston, 
in May, with five hundred and fifty soldiers under him, to 
carry it into effect. In this expedition, which lasted 
through the summer, Church destroyed the towns ofMenis 
and Chignecto ; did considerable damage to the French 
and Indians at Penobscot and Passamaquoddy ; and 
even assaulted Port Royal. During the autumn, the 
French experienced g severe loss in the capture of a large 
and richly laden store ship, which prevented any impor- 
tant military operations during the following year." 

During this year, the first newspaper in America was 
commenced at Boston. It was a weekly gazette, called 
the News Letter. 

In 1705, Vandreuil, the goA'^ernor of Canada, proposed 
to Governor Dudley a treaty of neutrality. Dudley pro- 
tracted the negotiation, under the pretence of consulting 
the other English governors ; during which time, arrange- 
ments were made for an exchange of prisoners, and by this 
arrangement many of those taken at Deerfield were finally 
released. 

In the years 1706 and 1707, small parties of French 
and Indians hovered about the frontiers, burning, scalping, 
and taking prisoners, wherever opportunity presented, and 
doing as much mischief as possible. But no large army 
entered the field on either side. 

In 1706, information reached Carolina that an invasion 
of the French and Spaniards was designed. The colony 

Who planned an expedition against the Indians? 

With how many men ? With what success ? 

With what loss did the French meet at this time ? 

When was the first newspaper commenced in America? 

Where ? Under what name ? 

What proposition by the governor of Canada in 1705 ? 

For what purpose and with what success did Dudley protract the 

negotiation ? 
What attacks of the Indians in 1706 and 1707 ? 
12 



134 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



lu res iii. Expa!!S3:3. Kspeu.iiu:! n,i.'aii:&i Fori RovhI Au..cks ou Exeter, Jcc. 

was greatly alarmed, and every precaution immediately 
taken by Governor Johnson to put the country in a state 
of defence. The appearance soon after of five vessels off 
Charleston harbor, under Monsieur Le Feboure, showed 
the necessity of these preparations. The French had 
been aided in this enterprise by the governors of Havana 
and St. Augustine. But Le Feboure had sailed before he 
was properly prepared for the expedition ; leaving Mon- 
sieur Arbuset, who commanded the Ia7id forces, to come 
after him. 

This premature departure was fortunate for the colony, 
and proved a principal reason of the failure of the enter- 
prise. Le Feboure landed a part of his troops and de- 
manded a surrender of the place. His reception, however, 
induced him to make a precipitate retreat, leaving a part 
of his troops, which were captivated. Monsieur Arbuset 
soon repeated the attack, but met a worse fate in the loss 
of a ship and ninety men. 

The expenses incurred by putting the colony in a state 
of defence were hea^'y^ No present means for defraying 
these expenses were possessed. The assembly, therefore, 
issued bills to the amount of eight thousand pounds, and 
at the same time passed an act laying a duty on firs, skins 
and liquors, to raise a revenue by which to redeem the 
bills. 

An expedition was fitted out the next year, 1707, from 
New England, to recover Port Royal. It was under the 
command of Captain March, from whose unskilfulness, 
principally, the enterprise failed. 

Exeter, Dover, and other places in New Hampshire, suf- 
fered severel}'" during this and the following year. " The 

What cause of alarm was experienced by Carolina at this time ? 

By v^'hom had the French been aided in this enterprise ? 

What was the success of the enterprise ? Why ? 

Cy whom was the attack repeated ? 

With what success ? 

What measure v/as adopted by the invaded colony to meet the 

expenses of the invasicn ? 
What method to cancel these bills ? 
What expedition fitted out in 1707 ? 
By whom ? With v.hat success ? 
What places suffered from Indian depredations ? 



rvARS OF WM. AND MARY AND OF QUEEN ANN. 135 

It va^ioa of xVew Eii2-iai:d. Attack oa Haverhill. Say brook Piaiform. 



enemy were at ail limes prowling about the frontier set- 
tlements, \vatching in concealment for opportunity to 
strike a sudden blow and to fly with safety. The women 
and children retired to the garrison ; the men left their 
fields uncultivated, or labored with arms at their sides, and 
with sentinels at every place where an attack could be 
apprehended. Yet, notwithstanding these precautions, the 
Indians were often successful, killing sometimes an indi- 
vidual, sometimes a family ; sometimes a band of labor- 
ers, ten or twenty in number ; and so swift were they in 
their movements, that but few fell into the hands of the 
whites." 

In July of the next year, a large army of French and 
Indians marched from Canada, against the frontiers of 
New England. Many, of the Indians soon found pretexts 
for returning home. The remainder, making collectively 
a body of about two hundred, marched between three and 
four hundred miles through the woods, to a place where 
they expected to be joined by another body of Indians. 
They were disappointed in this expectation. 

" But they nevertheless went forward, and on the twenty- 
ninth of August, about break of daj, surprised the town 
of Haverhill, on Merrimack river ; burned several houses 
and plundered the rest. Mr. Rolfe, the minister, and 
Wainwright, a captain in the town, with thirtj^ or forty 
other persons, were killed, and many taken prisoners." 

During 1708, the legislature of Connecticut passed an 
act, requiring the ministers and churches of that colony 
to meet and form an ecclesiastical constitution. A meet- 
ing was accordingly held at Saybrook, on the 9th of Sep- 
tember. The confession of faith previously assented to 
in Boston, was recommended to the general assembly, at 
the next session, for their public testimony to it, as the 
faith of the churches of that colony. The heads of agree- 
ment assented to by the united ministers, formally called 

Give particulars. What expedition in July of the next year? 

Yv^'hat town did a part of them surprise ? When ? 

How many killed ? How many made prisoners ? 

What act passed the legislature of Connecticut 1708 ? 

What confession of faith did they recommend ? 

When did they meet ? 



136 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Settlemenl at Roanoke. A fleet. Expedition against Canada. 

Presbyterian and Congregational, were recommended to 
be observed throughout the colony. Articles " for the bet- 
ter regulation of the administration of church discipline," 
were adopted. The confession of faith, heads of agree- 
ment, and these articles of discipline, were in October pre- 
sented to the legislature, which passed an act, adopting 
them as the ecclesiastical constitution of the colony, under 
the title of the Saybrook Platform. 

In 1709, a settlement was formed on the Roanoke, in 
Carolina, by a colony of Palatines from Germany. A ter- 
ritory was granted to them by Queen Ann, to whom they 
had made application for a charity. 

Extensive plans were formed the same year, and pre- 
parations commenced, both in England and America, for 
crushing the colonies of France. " More important affairs, 
however, for a time occupied the attention of the queen 
and parliament. The colonists solicited and obtained from 
Queen Ann the promise of a naval force for the reduction 
.of Canada. The fleet destined for the service was, how- 
ever, unexpectedly detained, and it was not thought expe- 
dient to attempt any thing of great magnitude without it. 
In 1710, a body of troops raised in the colonies, under the 
command of Colonel Nicholson, sailed from Boston in a 
fleet, part of which he had brought from England, and 
besieged Port Royal, which soon surrendered. In honor 
of the queen, he changed its name to Annapolis. 

Colonel Nicholson went soon after to Enofland to solicit 
an expedition against Canada. His request was granted, 
and an armament ordered, proportional to the m.agnitude 
of the enterprise. Nicholson arrived at Boston on the 
8th of June, 1711, with orders for the northern colonies 
to get ready their quotas of men and provisions by the 
time of the arrival of the forces from Europe. " Sir Ho- 
venden Walker, with a fleet of men of war and transports, 

V/hat other articles did they agree on ? 

Were they adopted ? What settlement 1709 ? 

What extensive plans formed in England and America 1709 ? 

What prevented their execution ? 

What did the colonists solicit from Queen Ann the following year? 

With Avhat success ? What was effected ? 

For what did Colonel Nicholson visit England ? 

With what success ? 

With what orders did Nicholson return to Boston ? When ? 



WARS OF WM. AND MARY AND OF QUEEN ANN. 137 

Embarkaiioa of the fleet; in lu^s. 

seven veteran regiments of the Duke of Marlborough's 
army, and a battalion of marines under the command 
of Brigadier General Hill, arrived in Boston harbor on 
the 25th of June. Sixteen days, the time that had elapsed 
since the reception of the orders, did not possibly admit 
the requisite preparations. Every thing that was practi- 
cable, however, was done. Nicholson, after attending a 
congress of the governors at New London, to concert 
measures relating to the expedition, had proceeded to 
Albany, where the forces of New York, Connecticut and 
New Jersey, about a thousand Palatines, and about as 
many Indians of the Five Nations, collected to the num- 
ber of four thousand men. These forces, commanded 
by Colonels Schuyler, ¥/hiting and Ingolsby, under 
the general command of Nicholson, commenced their 
march on the 2Sth of August, toward Canada." 

Genera! Hill commanded the New England and New 
York troops. The fleet of sixty vessels, with nearly six 
thousand and five hundred soldiers, sailed from Boston 
July 13th, and arrived at the mouth of the St. Lawrence 
August 14th. Measures were immediately taken for 
ascending the river. But the pilots were unskilled, and 
the v^nnds adverse. From these causes, the fleet was in 
imminent peril, and the lives of the soldiers greatly ex- 
posed. On the 22d, about midnight, several ships were 
driven on the north shore among rocks and islands. 
Eight or nine of the British transports, on board of which 
were about seventeen hundred officers and soldiers, were 
cast away, and nearly a thousand men lost. Upon this 
disaster, the fleet proceeded to Spanish River bay, at Cape 
Breton, where a council of land and naval officers, in con- 
sideration that there was but ten v^reeks' provisions for the 
fleet and army, and that a seasonable supply from New 
England could not be expected, judged it expedient to 
relinquish the design of proceeding to Quebec. 

Of what did the armament sent from England consist ? 
When did they arrive ? 

What troops were mustered by the colonists ? 
When did they arrive at the St. Lawrence ? 
What accident happened to the fleet ? Where? 
What loss ? What did the admiral then do ? 
(1 ) Where is Cape Breton ? Why did he relinquish his design ? 
12^ 



13S SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Effect on the troops. Indian hostilities at the south. 

The admiral sailed soon after for England ; and the 
provincial troops returned home. General Nicholson, 
who had advanced to lake George with a land army of 
four thousand troops, hearing of the miscarriage of the 
expedition on the St. Lawrence, retreated and abandoned 
the enterprise. This was a heavy blow to the hopes of 
the colonies, who with great effort had aided in the cam- 
paign, hoping to end the war by a single blow. But 
instead of this, the Indians and the French were rendered 
more insolent, and every thing indicated a continuance of 
the war. The failure was in England unjustly imputed 
to the colonies. 

In 1712, York, Exeter, Wells and other places, were 
again attacked, plundered and destroyed. Half the 
militia at the north were frequently on duty at the same 
time, and many lost their lives. 

Great calamities were now experienced at the south. 
The Cores, Tuscaroras and other tribes of Indians, dur- 
ing this year, formed a conspiracy for the extermination 
of all the English settlers in North Carolina. Having 
for the security of their own families enclosed the chief 
town in the Tuscarora nation with a wooden breast- 
work, the different tribes met there, to the number of 
twelve hundred bow-men, and laid their plans, which 
were concerted and executed with extreme subtilty and 
profound secrecy. From this place of rendezvous they 
sent out small parties, which, under the mask of friendship, 
entered the settlements by different roads. • When the 
night agreed on arrived, they entered the houses of 
the planters and demanded provisions ; and feigning dis- 
pleasure, fell upon them, and murdered men, women and 
children, without distinction. About Roanoke, one hun- 
dred and thirty-seven settlers perished in the massacre. 

Where did the admiral sail ? 

The provincial troops ? (3) Where is lake George ? 

With how large a force did Nicholson retreat ? 

What the effect of this ill success upon the colonists ? 

What attacks in 1712 ? Results ? 

(3) Where are these places ? 

What conspiracy formed this year ? 

Give some account of their proceedings. 

How many settlers massacred ? 



WARS OF WM AND IVIAllY AND OF QUEEN ANN. 139 

Barnwell's march against ihe Tuscaroras. The Six Nations. Bills of credit. 

A few persons, hiding themselves in the woods and escap- 
ing, gave the alarm to their neighbors the next morning, 
and prevented a total destruction of the colony. All the 
families, speedily assembling in one place, were guarded 
night and day by the militia, until news of the disaster 
reached South Carolina. 

Governor Craven no sooner received intelligence, than 
he despatched Colonel Barnwell, with six hundred militia, 
and three hundred and sixty-six Indians, to their relief. 
After a very difficult and dangerous march through a 
wilderness, Barnwell came up with the enemy, and at- 
tacked them with great effect. 

In the first battle he killed three hundred Indians, and 
took about one hundred prisoners. After this action, the 
Tuscaroras retreated to their fortified town, where Barn- 
well surrounded them, killed a considerable number, and 
obliged the rest to sue for peace. It was computed that 
in this expedition near a thousand Tuscaroras were killed, 
wounded and captured. Of Barnwell's men, five were 
killed, and several wounded ; of his Indians, thirty-six 
were killed, and between sixty and seventy wounded. 
" Never had any expedition in Carolina been attended 
with such hazards and difficulties ; nor had the con- 
quest of any tribe of Indians ever been more general and 
complete." 

Most of the Tuscaroras who survived this defeat, aban- 
doned their country and repaired to the Five Nations, 
which received them into their confederacy, and were 
afterwards styled the Six Nations. 

To accommodate domestic trade, and aid in defraying the 
expenses of the war, the legislature of South Carolina 
established a public bank, and issued forty-eight thou- 

What prevented the total destruction of the colony ? 
What was done by Governor Carver? What the result? 
How many Indians slain in the first engagement ? 
How many afterwards ? 
What was the effect upon the Indians ? 
How many Indians slain in the whole ? 
How many of Barnwell's men ? How many wounded ? 
What the effect upon the Tuscaroras ? 

To what measure did the legislature of South Carolina resort, to 
defray the expense of this expedition ? 



140 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Noivirnpiirtatiori of Blavfs to M.tt).s. Kiid of Queen Aiui'd war. Peace. lis effects, 

sand pounds in bills of credit, called bank bills, to be lent 
out at interest, on landed or personal security, and to be 
redeenaed gradually, at the rate of four thousand pounds 
a year. 

During this year, the legislature of Massachusetts 
passed an act prohibiting the innportation of any Indian 
servants or slaves into the province. 

In 1713, the treaty of Utrecht was signed on the 80th 
of March, which terminated Queen Ann's war, and once 
more restored peace to the colonies. By this treaty, the 
French king yielded to Ann, queen of Great Britain, the 
bay and straits of Hudson, the island of St. Christopher, 
Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. 

When this treaty was known in America, the eastern 
Indians prayed that there might also be peace between 
the English and them ; and proposed a treaty to be held 
at Casco. Governor Dudley, however, judging it more for 
his honor to oblige them to come to Portsmouth, a treaty 
was begun there on the lllh of July, and on the 13th they 
entered anew into articles of submission and friendship. 

This was a long, and, to the colonies, a distressing and 
expensive war. Yet it served to unite them, to make 
them alive to the necessity of mutual aid, and compelled 
them to feel their mutual dependence. It did more, it 
made them sensible of their strength, and fixed more 
finnly their abhorrence oi^ injustice and oppression. They 
lost many men and expended much treasure, but it was 
instrumental of many valuable results. 

What act passed the le^is^lalure of Massachusetts this year? 

When was the treaty of Utrecht signed ? 

(1) Where is Utrecht? 

Its elTect upon the colonies ? 

What did the French yield to Great Britain by this treaty ? 

What treaty was made with the eastern Indians ? When ? 

Where ? (3) Where is Portsmouth ? 

What the effect of this treaty upon the Indians? 

What were the effects of this war upon the colonies ? 



WARS OF WM. AND MARY AND OF QUEEN ANN. 141 

Questions. 



GEOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONS. 

CHAPTER IV. 

(3) Where is Schenectady? Which way from Alhain/ ? From 
Dover? From Salmon Falls? From Cusco? (1) In what pail of 
Nova Scotia is Fort Jioyal? In what direction did Phipps proceed 
from it ? To what place ? Wlicre did the Five Nations live ? 
(1, 2, 3) Can you name the principal places attacked in King 
William's war, and tell where they are situated? In what country 
is liyswic? In South Holland. (4) Where is WiUiamshurs;? 
Which way froin Ivichmond i* (2) Describe the river St. Croix. 
Which way from Charleston is iSY. Augustine ? (3) In what part 
of Maine is Wells? Which way from Dcerjield? Had this town 
been attacked by the Indians before ? What jilaces did Church 
assaults' What place was attacked in South Carolina!' What 
places in New nami)shire? How are these places situated if 
What town in Massachusetts on the Merrimack river ? 



142 SCHOOL HISTOKY 



Queatioas. 



CHRONOLOGICAL QUESTIONS. 

CHAPTER IV. 

How many divisions of the chronological line in this chapter? 
How many years does it include ? For what is this period distin- 
guished ? How much shorter is the line for this period than that 
for the first ? For the second ? For the third ( What is the 
first event in this period ? Its date ? What was the state of the 
New England colonies just before this event? What change in 
them soon ai'ter it ? What was the condition of the settlements 
at New York and Albany ? When did King William's war begin ? 
What was the cause of it ? Give an account of the attack upon 
Schenectady — Upon Dover — Upon Salmon Falls — Upon Casco — 
Of the expedition against Canada. When did Salem witchcraft 
Ijegin ? — Who arrived at Boston the same year, as governor of 
Massachusetts ? Y/hat do you recollect of the attack on Nova 
Scotia in 1692-3 ? Give some account of the attack upon Haver- 
hill, Massachusetts. When was the peace of Ryswic? What 
were its conditions ? How long after the commencement of the 
war ? What do you recollect about Captain Kidd ? Who became 
governor of Virginia the next year after the peace of Ryswic? 
What dispute arose in regard to Governor Dudley ? When ? 
When did Queen Ann's war begin ? VvHiat the cause of it ? How 
came the colonies to suffer by it ? What do you recollect about 
the actions in South Carolina and Florida ? How long was this 
after the close of King WiUiam's war ? When was the attack 
on Deerfield ? — How long after the commencement of the war ? 
When was Carolina invaded ? By whom ? What else do you 
remember about this invasion ? When did Queen Ann's war end ? 
How long did it continue ? How much longer was it than King 
WiUiam's war ? Mention successively the events chronologized 
on that part of the sixteenth division included in this period, 
and tell what other events you have associated with them. Do 
the same in regard to the events on the seventeenth division — 
la the fore part of the eighteenth. 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 143 

Lesson from the war. Viri;iMia discoveries. George f. 



CHAPTER V. 

Embracing 62 years ; from the conclusion of Queen Ann's war, 
ill 1713, to the commencement of the revolution, in 1775. 

PERIOD OF FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS AND BRITISH 
OPPRESSIONS. 

On the conclusion of Queen Ann's war, the attention 
of the colonies was turned towards freeing themselves 
from debt, and improving their condition. The necessity 
of being prepared for asserting and defending their rights 
had been taught them during wars for nearly twenty years. 

The southern colonies, except Carolina, had suffered 
less by Queen Ann's war than the northern, and continued 
to extend their settlements. The Virginia colony prose- 
cuted discoveries on her western borders towards the Mis- 
sissippi, and thereby received important information, par- 
ticularly with regard to a passage over the Appalachian 
mountains. 

During the following year, 1714, Queen Ann died, and 
was succeeded by George I. ; but nothing important re- 
sulted to the colonies from this event. 

The southern colonies were to suffer still more from 
Indian hostilities. During the year 1715, the Indians in 
South Carolina planned an invasion, which threatened 
the total extirpation of the colony. The Yamassees, a 
numerous and powerful tribe, possessing a large territory 
back of the island of Port Royal, were the most active. 
They artfully concealed their intention till they were ready 

What length of time embraced in this chapter ? 

To what was the attention of the colonies directed at the close of 

the war? 
What the comparative effects of the war upon the southern and 

northern colonies ? 
What discoveries attempted by Virginia ? 
What war in 1715 ? What tribe most active? 
Where did it reside ? 



144 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Indian massacre al the south. 

to Strike the intended blow. On the 15th of April, about 
break of day, the cries of war gave universal alarm ; and 
in a few hours above ninety persons were massacred, in 
Pocotaligo in Virginia, and the neighboring plantations. 
A captain of the militia, escaping to Port Royal, alarmed 
the town, and a vessel happening to be in the harbor, 
the inhabitants went precipitately on board, sailed for 
Charleston, and thus providentially escaped a massacre. 
A few families of planters on the island, not having timely 
notice of the danger, fell into the hands of the enemy. 

While these Indian tribes were thus advancing against 
the southern frontiers, and spreading desolation through 
the province, formidable parties from the other tribes were 
penetrating into the settlements further north. "Every 
tribe from Florida to Cape Fear, embracing six thousand 
warriors, was concerned in the conspiracy." 

The capital of South Carolina trembled for its own 
safety. In this maoment of universal terror, although 
there were no more than one thousand two hundred men 
fit to bear arms, yet the governor resolved to march 
against the enemy. He proclaimed martial law; laid 
an embargo on all ships, to prevent either men or pro- 
visions from leaving the country ; and obtained an act 
of assembly, empowering him to impress men and seize 
arms, ammunition and stores, wherever they were to be 
found ; to arm trusty negroes ; and to prosecute the war 
with the utmost vigor. Agents were sent to Virginia and 
England to solicit assistance; and bills were issued for 
the payment of the army, and other necessary expenses. 

The Indians on the northern quarter, about fifty miles 
from Charleston, murdered a family on a plantation, and 
then directed their march onward. 



When the first attack ? Where ? 

How many massacred ? How did Port Royal escape ? 

How many fell into the hands of the enemy ? 

How general the Indian conspiracy ? 

What did the governor do ? What did he proclaim? 

What act did he obtain from the assembly ? 

For what were agents sent to England and Virginia ? 

What other provisions made ? 

What did the Indians on the northern quarter ? 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 145 

Capt. Barker. Battle at Goose Creek : at Saltcatchers. End of the war in Ca. 

Captain Barker, having received intelJigence of iheir 
approach, collected a party of ninety horsemen, and ad- 
vanced against them. Having no guide but an Indian, 
he was led into an abuscade and slain, with several of 
his men. The rest retreated in confusion. Four hun- 
dred Indians soon after attacked a party of seventy men 
and forty negroes, who had surrounded themselves with 
a breast-work at Goose Creek, with the resolution of main- 
taining their post. Discouraged, however, almost as soon 
as attacked, they rashly agreed to terms of peace, but on 
admitting the enemy within their works, were barbarously 
murdered. The Indians advanced nearer to Charleston, 
but were soon met by the militia. 

In the mean time, the Yamassees, with their confeder- 
ates, had spread destruction through the parish of St. 
Bartholomew, and proceeded down the Stono. Governor 
Craven, advancing toward the wily enemy with cautious 
steps, dispersed their straggling parties, until he reached 
Saltcatchers, w^here they had pitched their camp. Here 
was fought a severe and bloody battle. From behind 
trees and bushes, the Indians, with their terrible war- 
whoops, alternately retreated and returned to the charge 
with double fury. The governor, undismayed, pressed 
closely on them with his provincials, drove them from 
their territory, pursued them over Savannah River, and 
thus expelled them from the province. 

In this Indian war, nearly four hundred of the inhabit- 
ants of Carolina were slain. The Yamassees, after their 
expulsion, w^ent directly to the Spanish territories in 
Florida, where they were hospitably received. They had 
not been completely subdued, but were made afraid to 
renew their depredations. 

What was done by Captain Barker ? 
What his fate and that of several of his men ? 
What happened at Goose Creek ? (4) Where is it ? 
Of what rash act we^e the besieged guilty ? The result T 
What next was done by the Indians ? 
What the course of the Yamassees ? 
What was done by Governor Craven ? 
Give particulars of the battle of Saltcatchers. 
What was the conduct of the governor ? What his success ? 
How many Carolinians slain i Where did the Yamassees go ? 
What the effect of this victory on the Indians ? 
13 



148 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Change in the sov'i of Md. L'Epiaai £rov. of La. New Orleans. Pirates. 

During the next year, 1716, the government of Mary- 
land, which since the year 16S9 had been held by the 
crown, was restored to the proprietor. 

M. Crozat, disappointed in his expectations of a profita- 
ble revenue, relinquished his privilege from the commerce 
of Louisiana to the king of France in 1717. " The king 
gave a charter to a commercial company, securing to 
them the sole trade of Louisiana, and also the beaver trade 
in Canada for twenty years. M. de I'Epinai, who was ap- 
pointed governor of Louisiana, came over to his province 
with three ships, provisions, ammunition and merchandise 
of all kinds, which he principally lodged in the isle of Dau- 
phin, where he proceeded to raise fortifications." A hur- 
ricane soon occurred and produced such effects as to induce 
him to remove to the isle of Suegere, where he built a fort 
to protect the shipping. 

In expectation of great advantages from the trade of 
Louisiana, the French were anxious to patronize this new 
settlement. Accordingly the foundation of the city of New 
Orleans, so called from the Duke of Orleans, was laid by 
emigrants the same year. 

Pirates having become very troublesome to merchants 
and masters of ships, in their trade to America and the 
West Indies, complaints were made to the king of England, 
who issued a proclamation, promising a " pardon to all pi- 
rates who should surrender themselves in the space of 
twelve months." At the same time, he ordered to sea a 
force to suppress and punish them. The island of New 
Providence was taken from them in 1718. Most of the 
pirates submitted to government, and caused but little ad- 

To whom was the goverament of Maryland restored in 1716 ? 
To whom did Crozat transfer his privilege of the commerce of Lou- 
isiana ? When ? 
What did the king do? Who was appointed governor? 
When did he come over ? With how many ships, and what else ? 
Where did he lodge them ? 

Where did the governor build a fort ? Why ? 
Where did he transfer the settlement ? 
When was the foundation of the city of New Orleans laid ? 
(2) Where is it? 

What proclamation Avas issued by the king of England? 
Why ? What residence of the pirates was taken in 1718 ? 
By whom ? In whose behalf ? 
Did many of the pirates take the benefit of the king's proclamation ? 



FKENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 147 

Opposition to the proprietors of Canada. Gov. IVJoore supersedes CJov. Johnson. 



ditional trouble in that quarter. They were not, however, 
entirely extirpated. About thirty of them took possession 
of the mouth of Cape Fear river, and infested the coast of 
Carolina, committing depredations w^herever opportunities 
were offered. Governor Johnson resolved to destroy them, 
and sent them out a ship commanded by William Rhelt, 
who took a piratical sloop, and brought the commander, S. 
Bennet, and about thirty of his men, to Charleston. En- 
couraged to prosecute the enterprise, the governor himself 
sailed in pursuit of others. He fell in with a vessel, which, 
after a desperate engagement, surrendered ; but not till 
all but two on board were killed ; and they were immedi- 
ately tried, condemned and executed. Those before taken 
were tried and executed, excepting one man. This check 
to such depredations was timely, and important to the com- 
merce of the colony. 

The proprietors of Carolina having become exceedingly 
unpopular, by repealing several important acts of the as- 
sembl}^, decided opposition to them was manifested in the 
colony. 

An association was soon formed in the colony, for unit- 
ing the whole province in opposition to the proprietary 
government; and the people, with scarcely an exception, 
subscribed the instrument of union. Governor Johnson, 
after a contest with the assembly on the subject, issued a 
proclamation for dissolving the house, and retired to the 
country. The representatives ordered his proclamation to 
be torn from the marshal's hands, and proceeded to open 
usurpation. Meeting on their own authority, they chose 
James Moore governor, and, on a fixed day, proclaimed 
him in the name of the king. They next chose twelve 

Who took possession of the mouth of Cape Fear river ? 
What did G-overnor Johnson ? Why ? With what success ? 
What did the governor in person ? 
What v/as done with two pirates who survived? 
¥7"hat became of those before taken ? 

By what did Ihe proprietors of Carolina render themselves obnox- 
ious to the colonists ? 
What association was formed in the colony ? 
For what purpose ? 
What did Governor Johnson ? 
What did the representatives order? 
What else did they do ? What next ? 



148 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Suppression of lotteries in Mass. Peace with liie Indians. A congress. 

counsellors, of whom Sir Hovenden Walker was made 
president; and thus formed a government of their own. 
Governor Johnson, having attempted to disconcert their 
measures, created some embarrassment, and at length made 
his last and boldest effort for subjecting the revolted colo- 
nists to his authority. He brought up the ships of war in 
front of Charleston, and threatened to destroy their capital, 
if they persisted in refusing obedience to his authority. 
The people, however, having arms in their hands, and forts 
in their possession, bade defiance to his power. He at 
length relinquished his attempt to enforce submission to 
the proprietary government, satisfied, undoubtedly, that it 
would require a desperate effort. 

The legislature of Massachusetts, being conAnnced of the 
immoral and injurious tendency of lotteries, passed an act 
this year for their suppression. 

In 1720, the agent for Carolina procured a hearing from 
the lords of the regency and council in England ; who gave 
it as their opinion, that the proprietors of that province had 
forfeited their charter. In conformity to this decision, they 
proceeded to appoint General Francis Nicholson provisional 
governor, and to establish other necessary laws. Thus the 
colonists, after m.any violent struggles and convulsions, "by 
one bold and irregular effort," entirely shook off the pro- 
prietary government, and threw themselves under the im- 
mediate protection of the crown of Great Britain. 

The next year, 1721, Governor Nicholson arrived at 
South Carolina, and after the organization of a new assem- 
bly, concluded treaties of peace Vv^ith the Cherokee and 
Creek Indians. 

In 1722, a congress of several of the governors and com- 
missioners was held with the Six Nations at Albany. The 
ancient friendship v/as renewed, and the Indians were faith- 
ful in maintaining it. 

What was done by Johnson ? 

What by the people ? 

What act passed the Massachusetts legislature ? 

What did the Carolina agent in England 1720? 

What the result ? Whom did they appoint governor? 

With what commission ? 

When did Nicholson arrive at South Carolina? 

What did he after the organization of a new assembly ? 

V7hat congress held 1722 ? 



PEENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 149 

Paper currency. Indians at the north. Ralle's war. Fort at Braltleboro'. 

During the next year, Pennsylvania made its first experi- 
ment of a paper currency. Several other colonies had set 
the example. 

The inhabitants of the eastern parts of New England 
were still harassed by Indian hostilities. The eastern 
Indians were situated between the colonies of two Europe- 
an nations, which were often at war ; and this local cir- 
cumstance chiefly accounts for the frequency of their wars 
with New England. Other causes, however, affected them. 
They were extremely offended with the English for mak- 
ing settlements on the lands at the eastward, after the peace 
of Utrecht. Building forts, block-houses and mills, by 
which their usual mode of passing the rivers and carrying- 
places was interrupted, increased their displeasure. Nor 
could ihej believe, though solemnly assured, that the forti- 
fications were erected for defence against invasion. x\t the 
conference at Arowsick, they had earnestly requested Gov- 
ernor Shute to fix a boundary, beyond which the English 
should not extend their settlements ; but he did not see fit 
to accede to the proposal. Their jealousies and discon- 
tents were heightened by this, while those whom they con- 
sidered as intruders were not always characterized by prin- 
ciples of justice in their trade and dealings with them. 
The influence of Roman Catholic priests was another rea- 
son for the continued hostilities of the natives. 

These difficulties led to Ralle's war, so called from the 
name of a Jesuit priest, who excited the Indians to engage 
in it. The north-eastern frontiers of New England suffered 
considerably, and the progress of settlements was retarded. 
An appeal was at length made to the French governor, 
and peace restored. 

In 1723, a fort was built at Braltleboro', within the pre- 
.sent limits of Vermont. This was the first settlement in 

When, did Pennsylvania make its first experiment of paper cur- 
rency ? 

What was the principal cause of the frequency of the wars v/iththe 
eastern Indians ? What other causes ? 

What did they request at the conference of Arowsick ? 

How did Governor Shute treat it ? 

What effect had this refusal upon them ? 

What war succeeded ? What fort built in 1723 ? (3) Where 
is this" town? 

13^ 



150 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



OsL). 11. titiv. Buniel'd salary. Uoaliiuumce of coalroversy. Oglethorpe in Ga. 

that state. The territory was occupied by Indians, and 
.settlements were not, for a considerable lime, extended. 

George II. succeeded to the throne of England on the 
death of his father, in 1727. Burnet, formerly governor of 
New York, was in 1728 appointed governor of New Hamp- 
shire and Massachusetts. He insisted on a permanent sal- 
ary ; but the legislature refused, though they were ready 
to supply all his reasonable expectations of support. They 
appropriated £1,700 to pay his outfit and salary, but de- 
clared " We cannot agree to fix a salary ; first, because it is 
an untrodden path ; secondly, because it is the undoubted 
right of all Englishmen, by Magna Charta, to raise and 
dispose of money for the public service without compulsion ; 
and lastly, because the charter fully empowers the general 
assembly to make such laws and orders as they shall judge 
for the good and welfare of the inhabitants." 

These reasons did not satisfy the governor, and he per- 
sisted in his claim. Hoping to gain his point better, he 
removed the assembly from Boston to Salem, and then re- 
fused to sign an order on the treasurer for paying the 
members. What would have been the result, cannot be 
told, had not the governor been suddenly removed by death. 
The king afterward yielded the point in debate, and the 
governors were paid as before. 

The spirit manifested in this controversy was not eva- 
nescent. It displayed itself on all occasions when anything 
occurred to call it forth. Indeed, it rapidly gained power 
as new plans for oppression were continually developing, 
and was fully exhibited at later periods. Our fathers loved 
liberty, and liberty they must enjoy. 

In 1732, Oglethorpe, with one hundred and thirteen em- 
igrants, commenced the settlement of Georgia. This terri- 
tory had been previously granted to a board of trustees. 

What retarded settlements in Vermont ? 

When did George H. ascend the throne? 

Who was appointed governor of Massachusetts ? 

On what was he directed to insist ? 

How was it met by the assembly ? 

Why would they not comply ? 

What measures did Burnet take to advance his object ? 

Did the king persist in his demands ? 

When was a seitlement,j|pimenced at Georgia? By whom? 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 151 

Washington. Incursions of Spain. 

The next year between five and six hundred were added 
to their niimber. Being unskilled in providing for their 
necessities, they experienced many hardships and diffi- 
culties. 

The year in which Oglethorpe arrived in Georgia, is 
distinguished for the birth of George Washington. This 
event, so interesting to every American and patriot, occurred 
in the county of Westmoreland, Virginia, on the 22d of 
February. No apology will be requisite for a momentary 
delay in order to notice some of the most prominent events 
in his eariy life. When he was ten years old, his father 
died and left him under the care of his surviving parent, 
who discharged the duties of her responsible situation so as 
to contribute in no small degree to the formation of those 
virtuous principles which gave symmetry and beauty to his 
future character. Her limited means compelled her to 
confine his education to useful branches of knowledge. In 
his eighteenth year, Lord Fairfax, the proprietor of the 
north of Virginia, appointed him surveyor of that part of 
the state ; and on the following year he was appointed 
adjutant general, with the rank of major. From this time 
till his death his biography is identified with the history 
of his country. 

General Oglethorpe visited England in 1736. He obtained 
additional settlers, and those of better character. About 
three hundred returned with him, and fixed their residence 
on the island St. Simons. 

Two years after, the Spanish settlements in Florida 
showed hostile intentions, by exciting the neighboring In- 
dians against the colony, and making their province an 
asylum for slaves whom they induced to run away. 

Vf hen was an accession made to it ? How large was it ? 

What was the success of the colony ? 

What important event in 1732 ? 

Where Avas Washington born ? When ? 

How old when his father died ? 

How did his mother educate him ? 

When was he appointed surveyor ? By whom ? 

What appointment did he receive the next year ? 

With what is his future history blended ? 

For what did Oglethorpe visit England 1736 ? With what success ? 

What distinguished the year 1738 ? 



152 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Spanish iavaaion of Ga. The de^jcrler. S late of the colonies at thf north. 

In 1740, Oglethorpe invaded Florida, but did little beside 
destroying a small fort, and making an unsuccessful attack 
on St. Augustine. 

Just before this invasion, war was renewed between 
England and Spain, and preparations were made by the 
latter to invade the southern colonies. This gave great 
alarm. The people attributed their misfortunes to the in- 
elliciency of the governor. 

Loud complaints were made against Oglethorpe by the 
southern settlers. At the same time he made complaints 
against them, and asserted that he could neither depend on 
the provincial troops nor govern them. Charleston was 
the next year reduced to ashes ; which, with the expenses of 
the war, proved nearly ruinous to the Carolina colony. 

In 1742, the Spanish invaded Georgia with a large fleet 
and army. General Oglethorpe was unprepared for defence, 
and abandoned the fort at St. Simons, retiring to Frede- 
rica with the little army he was able to collect. 

A French soldier deserted from the army and fled to the 
Spanish lines. Oglethorpe took advantage of this to try 
the effect of a stratagem. He wrote a letter to a soldier as 
if he were a spy, and bribed a person to deliver it. In the 
letter he directed the soldier to persuade the Spanish com- 
mander to stay a few days longer, as Oglethorpe expected 
a fleet and army to his succor in that period, which, he sta- 
ted, would enable him to attack the Spanish. The letter, 
as he expected, fell into the hands of the enemy, and they 
were so terrified by this news, and the sight of some ships 
from South Carolina, that they made a precipitate retreat, 
leaving their artillery, provisions and miHtary stores behind 
them. 

The northern colonies were generally prosperous. 
No event of importance had occurred for several years. 

What war in 1740 ? 
Its cause ? Success of Oglethorpe ? 

State some of the difficulties between Oglethorpe and the colo- 
nists. 
What town burned the next year? 
What invasion 1742 ? What its result ? 
To what place did the governor retire ? 
What stratagem employed by him ? Its success ? 
What the condition of the northern colonies at this time ? 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 153 

War. Expeditioa against Loui.sburg. 

Settlements were extending and improving. They were 
not indifferent either to their religious or literary privileges, 
but cherished both with the utmost care. 

In 1744, March 9th, a war commenced between England 
and France, in which the colonies suffered. Little was 
done during the year, except by the military zeal and en- 
terprise of General Shirley of Mass., who planned an ex- 
pedition against Louisburg, a place exceedingly important to 
the French. He applied for assistance to the mother country. 
Orders were given to Commodore Warren, then in the West 
Indies, to proceed to the north and employ such a force as 
would be sufficient to protect the colonies and fisheries. 
General Shirley communicated to the general court his 
plan for taking Louisburg, after requiring of them an oath 
of secrecy. The court decided that the project was imprac- 
ticable. But afterwards, learning that the people favored 
the subject, they reconsidered their decision, and, by a ma- 
jority of a single vote, the project was adopted. They ap- 
pointed Colonel Pepperell to command the expedition. 
Commodore Warren aided in the enterprise. The French 
had no knowledge of the meditated attack till the arrival 
of the English. Some opposition was made to the landing 
of the army, but it was ineffectual. Soon after landing, 
the English burned some store-houses which contained 
spirituous liquors. The French were alarmed and fled from 
the battery. This greatly aided the besiegers, as they 
could annoy the town from that place. While the siege 
was in progress, Commodore Warren took a French ship, 
having on board a reinforcement and stores for the gar- 
rison. 



When did war begin ? 

What was effected during this year ? 

For what did Governor Shirley apply to the mother country ? 

What orders were given to Commodore Warren ? 

What did the general court decide in relation to Shirley's project ? 

What did they afterwards decide ? 

Who was appointed to command the expedition? 

What opposiiion was made by the French ? 

With what success ? 

What aided greatly the besiegers ? 

What was captured at this time ? 



154 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Its surrender. Attempt to recapture it. Treaty of peace. Ohio Company. 

The governor of Louisburg surrendered the fort, town 
and island, June 16th, on the forty-ninth day of the siege 
to the king of England. The surrender was highly grati- 
fying to the colonies. 

The king of France was greatly exasperated by the loss 
of Louisburg, and determined to retake it, or seek other 
revenge. In 1746, he sent a large fleet and army for this 
purpose, commanded by D'Anville. The fleet, however, 
was scattered by a tempest ; and sickness lessened the force 
so much, that the commander returned without accomplish- 
ing his object. 

While this invasion was expected, the Puritans betook 
themselves to earnest prayer. Their prayers were an- 
swered, in a manner which they considered almost mirac- 
ulous. 

In 1748, a treaty of peace was signed at Aix la Chapelle, 
between England, France and Spain, by which all places 
taken bj? each of the parties were to be restored. 

The conclusion of the war did not diminish the efforts 
of France to unite the Canadian and Louisianian territo- 
ries. For this purpose they designed to construct a line of 
forts on the Ohio and the lakes, from Canada to the Mis- 
sissippi. 

In 1750, a grant of 60,000 acres of land on the Ohio river 
was made to the Ohio Company ; the object of this grant 
vv^as to enable them to prosecute trade with the Indians. 
This act of the English interfered with the plans of the 
French, and they considered the Ohio traders as invaders, 
and threatened to seize them. The Ohio Company com- 
plained of the encroachments of the French to Dinwiddie, 

AVhen did Louisburg surrender ? What was the result of the 

siege ? 
How did the loss of Louisburg aiTect the French monarch ? 
On what did he determine ? What was done by him in 1746 ? 
Who commanded it ? What was the result ? 
] a what had the Puritans confided for security ? 
V7ith what success ? When was a treaty of peace signed ? 
Where ? fi) Where is this town? 
Between wnat powers ? What were its stipulations ? 
Whrit plan formed by France ? For what purpose ? 
What grant made 1750 f 

In v,-hat light did the French regard the Ohio traders ? 
What did th.-^y threaten ? What did the Ohio Company do? 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 155 

Col. Washington. t'ona iNeoe^sity and itu Qiie.siie. Six iNations. 

governor of Virginia. In 1753, he wrote to the French 
commander on the Ohio, and despatched George Washing- 
ton, then a major in the Virginia militia, with the letter. 
Washington fulfilled his mission, which was attended with 
great hardship, but w^lthout inducing the French to with- 
draw from the Ohio. 

A regiment was immediately raised to force the French 
to retire, and placed under the command of Washing- 
ton, who received the commission of a colonel. In the 
spring of 1754 he commenced his march. He learned 
that the French had dispossessed the Ohio traders of a fort 
called Du Quesne, near the present town of Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvania, at the juncture of the Monongahela and 
Allegany rivers. He surprised the French encampment 
and took it. The French commander was the only 
person killed. Washington returned to a place called 
Great Meadows and built a fort, which he called Necessity. 
Here he received a small reinforcement from North Caro- 
lina and New York. He determined to attack fort 
Du Quesne, and marched toward it. On the way, how- 
ever, he learned that the French had been reinforced. Hav- 
ing but four hundred men with him, and knowing that the 
French, to the number of fifteen hundred, were marching to 
meet him, he returned to fort Necessity. The French 
commander, Villier, soon after arrived and commenced a 
furious attack on the fort. Washington and his party re- 
ceived them with great coolness and bravery. The French 
commander, after fighting several hours, demanded a par- 
ley, and offered the besieged terms of capitulation. These, 
though at first rejected, were afterwards accepted. Wash- 
ington and his soldiers were to retire wath arms and bag- 
gage, without molestation. 

It was evident that \var must follow. England ad- 
vised the colonies to cultivate friendship with the Six 
Nations, and directed them, if possible, to take Ohio from 
the French. 

What the governor ? What was Washington's success ? 
What was next done ? Who commanded it ? 
When did he commence his march? Of what did he take possession ? 
What reinforcement did he receive ? Where did he retire ? 
What attack at this time ? How received ? The result ? 
What the advice of England ? (2) Where is Pittsburg ? 
What fort was formerly near this place ? 



156 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Congress at Albany. Taxaiioa. Four exptidiunus. Canada. 

In June, a congress was held at Albany, composed of 
delegates from New England and New York, Pennsylvania 
and Maryland, and from the Six Nations. A treaty- 
was made with the Indians, and a plan for the union 
of the colonies matured. To the latter the colonies did not 
however accede, because, in their opinion, it gave too much 
power to the king of England ; who also rejected it, be- 
cause he thought it gave too much power to the people. 
Of course there was no hope that both parties could agree 
on any plan. The ministry proposed that " the governors 
of all the colonies, attended hy one or two members of their 
respective councils, should, from time to time, concert meas- 
ures for the colonies, erect forts, raise troops, with the pow- 
er to draw on the British treasury any sums, which should 
bo refunded by the colonies." 

The plan was at once rejected by the colonists, who de- 
nied the right of the mother country to tax them, a principle 
they ever maintained. 

It was decided to prosecute the war with British troops, 
and the voluntary aid of the colonies. 

General Braddock was despatched from England in 
1755, with fifteen hundred troops, for the defence of the col- 
onies. When he arrived, four expeditions were planned 
by him and the colonial governors ; one under Braddock 
against Du Quesne ; one under Governor Shirley, of Mas- 
sachusetts, against fort Niagara ; one against Crown Point, 
and another against Nova Scotia. 

The French king sent a powerful reinforcement to the 
Canadas, to aid in maintaining his claims. Baron Dieskau 
was commander of the reinforcement. 

When was a congress held at Albany ? 

Of whom composed ? What was done? 

Did the colonies accede to it ? Why not ? 

Did the government of England ? Why not ? 

What proposition made at this time ? By whom ? 

How received by the colonies ? Why ? What was agreed on? 

What detachment fro7ii England in 1755 ? 

For what purpose ? Under whose command ? 

What expeditions planned on his arrival? 

(2) Which way is the first of these places from the second ? 

(2, 3) The second from the third ? The third from the fourth ? 

What reinforcement was sent to the Canadas? 

By whom ? Under vvhose command ? 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 157 

Nova Scotia. Fort l)u Quesne. Battle. iJeaih of Bradilock. 



The expedition against Nova Scotia was successful after 
a very short campaign, and the English found themselves 
in possession of it, having lost but three men. The troops 
raised by the colonies to attack Niagara and Crown Point 
arrived at Albany in June. Generals Johnson and Lyman 
commanded the expedition against Crown Point. On their 
march, they built fort Edward and cast up intrenchments 
for their security. 

Braddock, in the mean time, proceeded slowly towards 
fort Du Quesne. He was advised to proceed cautiously, 
to prevent surprise. This advice, given by Colonel Wash- 
ington, his aid, was contemptuously disregarded. He 
arrived, at length, within seven miles of the fort, with the 
advanced part of his army, at a narrow defile, where he 
had been warned to be on his guard. Here the war w^hoop 
was sounded, and he found himself surrounded by savages, 
who poured upon his men a deadly fire. The foremost 
part of his army fell back ; but, instead of retreating, or 
attacking the ambuscade, he rallied his men and endeav- 
ored to form them in the order of battle. Here he kept 
them till every officer on horseback, except Washington, 
was either killed or wounded. Braddock himself was 
mortally wounded, and, too late, acknowledged to Wash- 
ington his folly in not taking his advice. Washington 
conducted a retreat, till he met the other part of the army 
advancing with the artillery. Braddock was conveyed 
forty miles before his death. The command now devolved 
on Colonel Dunbar, who retreated to Philadelphia, leaving 
the whole frontier unprotected and exposed to the French 
and Indians. Sixty-four out of eighty-five officers were 
killed in this battle. 

Who commanded the detachment against Niagara and Crown 

Point ? 
What did they do on their march ? 
(3) Which way is fort Edward from Crown Point ? 
Who was to command the detachment for the attack oa Du 

Quesne ? What the advice of Washington ? 
Did he take it ? What was the consequence ? 
What did Braddock acknowledge to Washington ? 
Who conducted the retreat ? 
Upon whom did the command now devolve ? 
To what place did he retreat? 
How many officers were slain in this battle ? 
14 



15S SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Johnson at Crown Point. Fort William Henry. 



General Johnson was ready to proceed in August against 
Crown Point. While preparing to cross lake George, he 
heard that a large body of the enemy were proceeding to 
attack fort Edward, in which was a garrison of five hun- 
dred troops under Colonel Blanchard. After arriving 
within four miles of fort Edward, the French determined 
to attack General Johnson at lake George, and marched 
toward his post. In the mean time Johnson had sent one 
thousand men to fort Edward, commanded by Colonel 
Williams of Massachusetts, and Colonel Whiting of Con- 
necticut. 

Baron Dieskau had arrived with his forces vi^ithin a few 
miles of General Johnson's army, when the French dis- 
covered Williams and his men. He laid an ambush to 
surprise Williams, w^iich proved successful, as he did not 
suppose an enemy near. Williams w^as killed, also the 
Indian chief, Hendrick, and many others who had accom- 
panied him. Colonel Whiting retreated, and, with his 
surviving men, arrived at General Johnson's camp. The 
French commander followed, and soon commenced a vio- 
lent attack; but was repulsed with the loss of seven hun- 
dred men. He and thirty others were taken prisoners. 
The next day, Captain M'Ginnis, from fort Edward, with 
one hundred and twenty men, attacked about five hundred 
of the enemy, and routed them ; they fled leaving their 
packs and other articles behind them. The brave captain 
was mortally wounded. 

General Johnson built fort William Henry, at the south 
end of lake George, but abandoned his contemplated attack 
on Crown Point. 



When was Johnson ready to proceed against Crown Point ? 

"What did he hear when preparing to cross lake George ? 

On arriving within four miles of fort Edward, what did the French 

determine to do ? 
Whom had Johnson sent to fort Edward? 

When did the French commandei- discover Williams' detachment? 
What did he do ? With what success ? 
What did Colonel Whiting do ? The French ? 
With what success ? What their loss ? 
How many taken prisoners ? What attack the next day ? 
With what success ? What fort built ? 
(3) Where? By whom? 
bid he make the contemplated attack on Crown Point? 



FRENCH AND INDIAN \YARS. 159 

Declaration of war. Efforts against Montcalm, 

The enterprise against Niagara entirely failed, owing to 
the lateness of the season. 

Though there had been so much fighting, no declaration 
of war had, as yet, been made. 

In 1756, war was formally declared by England against 
France. General Shirley was appointed commander-in- 
chief after the death of Braddock ; but was superseded by 
the governor of Virginia. A few enterprises only were 
undertaken this year against the French. Colonel Brad- 
street, who was conveying provisions on Oswego river, 
was attacked. He repulsed the French, and took seventy 
prisoners. 

The fort at Oswego was taken by the French under 
Montcalm, which gave him the command of lakes Erie 
and Ontario. Fort Granville, in Pennsylvania, was also 
surprised and taken by the enemy. 

General Montcalm now concentrated his forces at Ticon- 
deroga, and besieged fort William Henry. General Webb 
was at this time with the British army at fort Edward ; 
Colonel Monroe, with an English force of two thousand 
two hundred, commanded lake George, a part at fort Wil- 
liam Henry, and the rest at a place afterwards called fort 
George. Monroe expected them at fort Edward, and 
maintained his position as well as he could. A part of 
the French v/ere posted between his camp and fort William 
Henry. The latter fort was obliged to surrender, August 
9, 1757, no aid having been sent from fort Edward. Most 
of the prisoners were inhumanly murdered by the savages ; 
but a few made their escape ; though, in the terms of the 
surrender, the French had engaged to conduct them to fort 
Edvv^ard. A more bloody and wanton massacre is not to 

What rendered, the enterprise against Niagara unsuccessful ? 
"When v/as war declared ? Who succeeded Braddock as com- 
mander-in-chief? By whom superseded ? 
What fort taken ? By whom ? What attack is mentioned ? 
Of what did this give them the command? What other fort ? 
What fort was surrendered ? 

Who at tliis time commanded lake George ? With what force ? 

How Avere they stationed ? 

(3) Which vv^ay from fort William Henry to fort George ? • 
What did Monroe expect ? 
Where were a part of the French posted ? 
How wore the prisoners treated after surrender ? 



160 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

PiU'3 efficiency. Three ex) editions : Louisburg; Crown Point; 

be found on the page of history. The French commander 
pretended he could not restrain the savages ; but this was 
false. General Webb sent Major Putnam with a body of 
rangers to watch the motions of Montcalm. He found 
bodies all along the road butchered in the most barbarous 
manner. This stain can never be wdped from the character 
of the French engaged in that siege. 

The war had continued about three years, and very 
little had been done wdiich was advantageous to the colo- 
nies, or to England. But ill success was not discourage- 
ment ; it seemed even to arouse the energies of the minis- 
try and the colonies. Mr. Pitt was elevated to the head 
of the English ministry. He was a man of great ability 
and efficiency, a friend to America, and exceedingly popular 
in the colonies. 

In the spring of 1758, twelve hundred British troops 
having arrived under command of General Amherst, three 
expeditions were planned ; the first against Louisburg in 
Nova Scotia, the second against Crown Point, and the third 
against Du Quesne. General Amherst commanded the 
expedition against Louisburg, consisting of a land force of 
fourteen thousand men, aided by Admiral Boscawen Avith 
twenty sail of the line and eighteen frigates. His capture 
of the city and island, on the 6th of July, filled the colonies 
with great joy. 

The expedition against Crown Point was commanded 
by General Abercrombie, and consisted of sixteen thousand 
men. Lord Howe aided in the enterprise. On the ap- 
proach of the army to their camp, the French deserted it, 

What did the French commander pretend ? 

Who was despatched at this time to General Webb ? 

How long had the war continued ? 

With what advantage to the colonies ? 

What eflect had this ill success upon them ? 

Who was at the head of the British ministry ? 

His character ? Hov/ disposed toward America ? 

What detachment from England arrived in the spring of 1758 ? 

Under whose command ? What expeditions planned ? 

(1, 2, 3) Where are these places ? Who commanded that against 

Loviisburg ? (1) Where is it ? With what land forces? 
What ships ? With what success ? When did he take the city ? 
Who commanded that against Crown Point ? (3) Where is it ? 
How many men ? Wlio aided him ? 



FEENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 161 

Fort Du Quesne. Peace with the Indians. Invasion of Canada. 

and, soon after, the commander besieged Ticonderoga. 
Here General Howe was killed. Three hundred of the 
enemy were killed during a skirmish, and one hundred 
taken prisoners ; but the assault on the fort proved unsuc- 
cessful, owing, no doubt, to the fact that it was stormed 
before the arrival of the heavy artiller\'. Nearly two 
thousand fell in the attack on the fort ; and the attempt was 
at length abandoned. 

General Abercrornbie retired to the south side of lake 
George, from which place, at his own request, Colonel 
Bradstreet was despatched with three thousand men against 
fort Frontenac. Having arrived at the fort, he obliged the 
commander to surrender after two days' siege. As this 
fort contained the stores intended by the French for the 
Indians, its capture wds exceedingly important to the 
British. 

General Forbes commanded the expedition against fort 
Du Quesne, at vv^hich place he arrived November 25th, 
and found it abandoned by the French. He took posses- 
sion of it and named it Fort Pitt ; it was subsequently 
called Pittsburg. 

A treaty of peace with the Appalachian Indians was 
another important event of this year. So much success 
had attended the campaign of 1758, that it w^as determined 
lO attack Canada the next year. Accordingly, in 1759, 
General Wolf was sent against Quebec, General Amherst 
against Ticonderoga, and General Prideaux against Ni- 
agara. 

General Amherst besieged Ticonderoga, which soon 
surrendered. He then proceeded to Crowm Point, from 

How many of the enemy killed in a skirmish? 
How many taken prisoners ? 

What the success of the assault on the fort ? Why ? 
How many troops were killed in this attempt ? 
Where did General Abercrornbie retire ? 
What attack from this place ? At whose request ? 
With what success ? What the importance of this capture ? 
Why ? (2) Where is this fort ? Who commanded the expedi- 
tion against Du Quesne ? When did he arrive? 
How did he find it ? After taking possession, what did he call it ? 
What treaty ? What three expeditions ? 
Who commanded that against Quebec ? Ticonderoga ? 
Niagara ? What place surrendered ? 
14* 



162 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Attack, on Quebec. 

which the French retired to the Isle of Aux Noix. He did 
not pursue them, but encamped at Crown Point, though 
the plan was for him to proceed to Quebec. 

General Prideaux besieged fort Niagara on the 24th of 
July. The French made great efforts to relieve the gar- 
rison, but without success. The fort was taken, though 
the commander lost his life, by the bursting of abombshelL 

The expedition against Quebec was one of great diffi- 
culty. The city was strongly fortified, and there was no 
place where fortifications could be erected with much 
hope of success. General Wolf selected Point Levi, on 
the bank of the river opposite to the city. The distance 
was, however, so great that his artillery did but little. 
He afterwards planned an attack upon the French in their 
intrenchments, but was repulsed. He then returned to 
the island of Orleans, below the city, and made an effort 
to destroy the French shipping, but failed in this. He 
felt most deeply disappointed in not receiving aid from 
General Amherst, and viewed the success of his efforts as 
exceedingly doubtful, but seems to have determined not to 
survive defeat. He therefore laid a plan, hazardous as it 
was important, to attempt ascending to the plains of Abra- 
ham. To do this, he must land in a place of swift water 
near the city, and ascend an almost perpendicular and 
very high bank. There was but one place where this 
could be done, and that must be found during the night, or 
all hope of success would be vain. 

Having ascended the river, he fell silently down dur- 
ing the night, and about an hour before day landed at 
the proper place. A party of Highlanders and light infan- 
try first ascended and took a small battery near the path 
where they reached the plain. The remainder of the 
army scrambled up the rocks as fast as possible. 

At sunrise, Montcalm, who commanded the French, saw, 
with surprise, the whole British army prepared to give 

To what place did the French retire ? (3) Where is it ? 

Where did Amherst encamp ? 

What place next taken ? When ? By whom ? 

What rendered the expedition against Quebec difficult? 

What two fruitless attempts ? 

Give some account of the taking of it. 



FIIENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 163 



ll3 surrender. Death of the generals. Surrender of Montreal. 

him battle. The fate of the city was now to be decided. 
Wolf had gained an important advantage, but he had a 
brave and powerful general to oppose. Montcalm pre- 
pared as soon as possible to attack Wolf, who disposed his 
men for battle, giving the command of the right wing to 
General Monckton, of the left to General Murray, and of a 
separate detachment to General Townshend. 

Montcalm began the attack. The British reserved 
their fire till the 3nemy was very near them, and then 
opened it with tremendous effect. Montcalm, on the left 
of his army, and V/olf, on the right of the British, were 
directly opposed to each other in the battle. Both did all 
that bravery and skill could do. Wolf was soon wounded 
in the v/rist, but seemed scarcely to notice it. He put 
himself at the head of the grenadiers, and pressed forvv^ard. 
Not long after he received a mortal w^ound, and was 
obliged to be carried in the rear. General Monckton, the 
next in command, was wounded, and Townshend succeeded 
to the command. The French commander fell, and most 
of his officers with him. The English now rushing for- 
ward with fixed bayonets, and the Highlanders with broad- 
swords, the French were obliged to give way. A part 
w^ere u riven into the river and the rest into the city. 

The news of the victory was communicated to Wolf, 
who was lying supported by an officer. He said, '• I die 
contented," and then expired. Montcalm, being told his 
wound w^as mortal, replied, " So much the better, I shall 
not live to see the surrender of Quebec." Thus fell two 
of the bravest generals of their age. The city was taken 
on the 18th of September, two days after their death. 

Montreal was now the only remaining strong hold of 
the French. Here they concentrated their force, but on 
the following September, 1760, they were obliged to sur- 
render to the superior force of the English, under General 

When did the EngHsh gain the plains of Abraham and begin the 
attack ? 

When was Quebec taken ? 

What were the dying remarks of Montcalm and Wolf? 

Did they evince more of the bravery of soldiers or of the faith of Chris- 
tians ? 

Wliat now the only remaining strong hold of the French ? 

Where did they concentrate their forces ? 



164 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

George III. Peace. Legaon from the war. 

Amherst. Other less important places followed their ex- 
ample, and the whole of Canada soon fell into the pos- 
session of the British. 

In 1761) George III. ascended the throne, and soon 
made arrangements for a favorable termination of the war. 
While this war oppressed the northern colonies, the south- 
ern were not wholly free from invasions. Virginia and 
Carolina suffered from the outrages of the Cherokees and 
other neighboring tribes. When General Amherst was 
informed of these hostilities, he sent a detachment of twelve 
hundred men under General Montgomery to aid'the colo- 
nists. On his arrival, Montgomery united his forces with 
those of the invaded territory, marched against the enemy 
and laid waste their country. He was soon obliged to leave 
his troops unaer the command of Colonel Grant, who pros- 
ecuted the war with such success that the Indians were in 
a short time compelled to sue for peace. A treaty of 
amity was concluded in 1761. 

The war with the French and Indians, which had raged 
nearly eight years, was terminated by a treaty signed by 
the belligerent powers at Paris, on the 10th of February, 
1763. By this treaty, the conditions of which had been 
agreed upon the previous year, France ceded to Eng- 
land all her possessions in America north of the United 
States ; while Spain, in order to recover Havana, gave to 
Great Britain her right to East and West Florida. Thus 
England secured the possession of most of the present 
territory of the United States, and delivered her American 
colonies from the outrages of foreign enemies. 

Distressing as this war was to the colonies, still it pro- 
duced some favorable results. It taught them the neces- 
sity of union and concentrated effort, in order to defend 
themselves or to conquer their enemies ; and the master 
spirits of the land became acquainted with each other, and 

When did Canada surrender to the English? 

What change in British government, 1761 ? 

What event soon followed ? 

What war terminated about this time ? 

When was a treaty of peace concluded ? (See chart. )(1) Where ? 

What events in this war are chronologized ? 

Give the date of each. 

What territorial possessions did England gain by this war? 

What did tbe coloni.?'/'. Irnrn bv this v.-ar? 



BRITISH OPPRESSION. 165 

Taxation. Internal revolution. Writs of assistance. 

learned those lessons of practical wisdom, which were 
subsequently to guide them in more perilous scenes. 

Before the commencement of the French war, England 
became apprehensive that her American colonies were 
aiming at independence ; hence she restricted their com- 
merce and imposed other checks on their rising power. 
The war for a time diverted her attention from these 
oppressive measures, and turned that of the colonists to 
their personal safety. But w^hen the severities of the 
conflict had passed, the low state of the British finances 
revived the idea of taxing the colonies. Some have, how- 
ever, alleged, but without sufficient reason, that this plan 
was suggested to the king by the Earl of Bute and Lord 
North, as a means of enabling him to erect a new and 
more splendid palace. 

Whatever may have originally suggested this plan, let 
us watch its operation ; and, as far as possible, the opera- 
tion of all those causes which finally produced war. We 
shall thus discover that what is commonly styled " the 
American revolution," was the natural result of causes 
which had operated for many years ; and that this, 
like every other external revolution, was preceded by an 
internal, a revolution of opinion and feeling. We shall 
see that the latter had its conflicts of mind with mind, 
and that they were as real, if not as severe, as the open 
hostilities to which they led. A reflecting mind cannot 
but regret that the same vigilance which has preserved 
with so much exactness the deeds of our fathers on the 
battle-field, has not also transmitted to us a fuller account 
of these mental conflicts. 

The first was occasioned by the " writs of assistance," 
which enabled custom-house officers to command the as- 
sistance of all sheriffs and constables in searching build- 

Of what had England been apprehensive ? 
What diverted her attention from oppression ? 
Why did she again think of taxing the colonies * 
Who have been thought to have originated this plan ? 
What did this taxation at length produce? 
By what is every external revolution preceded? 
What preceded the American revolution ? 
What may a reflecting mind here find to regret ? 
What were the " writs of assistance ? " 



166 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Peiition at the court in Salem. Gridley. Thatcher. Otis. 

ings and all places of storage for any kind of merchan- 
dise, imported without paying the duties required by " the 
acts of trade." Mr. Paxon had been sent to the colonies 
by parhament to obtain such writs from the colonial courts, 
to aid him and his associates in enforcing these acts. In 
November, 1760, he presented his petition, through his 
deputy collector, Mr. Cockle, to the superior court in Sa- 
lem. Chief Justice Sewall, an American of superior tal- 
ent, and a warm friend of the colonists, doubted whether 
the court could legally grant such a petition. He, how- 
ever, ordered the question to be argued at the next Febru- 
ary session in Boston. Judge Sewall died before the 
time appointed for the trial of this important cause arrived ; 
and Lieutenant Governor Hutchinson, who was as ar- 
dently attached to the interests of the crown as Sewall had 
been to those of the colonies, was appointed in his place. 

When the time arrived, the cause came on, and was ar- 
gued principally by Mr. Gridley in behalf of the crown, 
and by Messrs. Thatcher and Otis in behalf of the colo- 
nists. Of the trial, Mr. Adams, the second president of 
the United States, has given us the following account. 

" Mr. Gridley argued with his characteristic learning, 
ingenuity and dignity, and said every thing that could be 
said in favor of Cockle's petition, all depending, however, 
on this condition, ' if the 'parliament of Great Britain is 
the sovereig?! legislature of all the British empire.^ 

" Mr. Thatcher followed him on the other side, and ar- 
gued wath the softness of manners, the ingenuity, the cool 
reasoning, which were peculiar to his amiable character. 

" But Mr. Otis was a flame of fire ! With a prompti- 
tude of classical allusions, a depth of research, and a rapid 
summary of historical events and dates, a profusion of legal 
authorities, and a prophetic glare of his eyes into futurity, 

For what had Paxon been sent to America ? 
Where did he present his petition ? 
Through whom ? When ? 

How did Judge Sewall decide the case ? Who succeeded him ? 
When was the cause tried ? Where ? 
Who argued it for England ? For the colonists ? 
Give some account of the speech of Gridley — of Thatcher — of 
Otis. ^ 



BRITISH OPPRESSION. 167 



Hutchinson. Keport (it luus ii lai. Patrick Henry. 



and a rapid torrent of impetuous eloquence, he hurried 
away all before him. American Independence was then 
AND THERE BORN. The seeds of patriots and heroes, to 
defend its vigorous youth, were then and there sown. 
Every man of an immense, crowded audience, appeared 
to me to go away, as I did, ready to take arms against 
writs of assistance. Then and there was the first scene 
of the first act of opposition to the arbitrary claims of Great 
Britain ; then and there the child Independence was born. 
In fifteen years he grew up to manhood, and declared him- 
self free. 

" The court adjourned for consideration, and after some 
days, at the close of the term, Hutchinson, chief justice, 
arose and said, ' The court has considered the subject of 
writs of assistance, and can see no foundation for such a 
writ ; but as the practice in England is not known, it has 
been thought best to continue the question to next terra, 
that in the mean time opportunity may be given to write 
to England for information concerning the subject.' In 
six months the next term arrived ; but no judgment was 
pronounced, nothing was said about writs of assistance, no 
letters from England, and nothing more was said in court 
concerning them. But it was generally reported and un- 
derstood, that the court clandestmely granted them, and 
the custom-house officers had them in their pockets ; 
though I never knew that they dared to produce and exe- 
cute them in any one instance." 

" Here, then, began the revolution in the principles, 
views, opinions and feelings of the American people. 
Their eyes were opened to a clear sight of the danger that 
threatened them and their posterity, and the liberties of 
both in all future generations. From Boston these alarms 
spread through Massachusetts and all New England ; and 
in course to New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Mary- 
land, Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia. A general as- 
piration for a union of the colonies soon followed." 

While Otis and his associates were preparing the minds 
of the northern colonists for independence, Patrick Henry, 
who has been justly styled the Demosthenes of America, 

Of Hutchinson. When was American Independence born? 
Where ? What has Patrick Henry been styled ? 



168 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

{Sugar act. 



was performing the same office for the southern settlers. 
In his speech " when he plead against the parsons," " he 
persuaded the court to acknowledge the validity of a colo- 
nial law, which the king and his council had declared null 
and void ; and thus taught the colonists to dispute with 
Britain upon the great principles of freedom and equity, 
and to vindicate their rights against the encroachments of 
tyranny." But he did not come out in the greatness of 
his strength, as the opponent of British oppression, till his 
genius was fired by the stamp act, in 1765. 

At length, it became evident that England designed to 
maintain and to exercise the right to tax America. Indeed 
this right she openly avowed, as early as 1764, when her 
ministry began to discuss the merits of different plans for 
raising a revenue from the colonies, and when Lord Gren- 
ville declared to an American agent in London his inten- 
tion to introduce a bill at the next session of parliament 
for this purpose. Parhament soon after convened, and he 
introduced a resolution for laying duties on sugar, molas- 
ses, indigo, coffee and other similar articles. After some 
opposition from several members of the assembly, who 
were friends to the colonies, this resolution passed on 
the 5th of April, 1764. It has generally been styled " the 
sugar act,'^ to distinguish it from the molasses act, which 
was passed in 1733, but which had never been rigidly en- 
forced. Before this, " no act of parliament had been pass- 
ed avowedly for the purpose of raising a revenue in the 
colonies. This act was fraught with ingredients highly 
disgustful and alarming. It not only declared the necessity, 
but the justice of taxing the colonies, for the avowed pur- 
pose of a parliamentary revenue. But the very wording 
of it excited in the colonists shrevi^d apprehensions that the 
parliament would proceed to tax them to such a degree, 

In what cause did he at first distinguish himself ? 

What one subsequently developed more fully his genius ? 

When did England avow her right to tax America ? 

Who declared this right to an American agent ? 

What bill did he introduce ? When was it passed ? (See chart.) 

What has the act been called ? Why ? 

How long before the sugar act was the molasses act ? 

The writs of assistance '( (See chart.) 

What right did the sugar act assert ? 



BRITISH OPPRESSION. 169 

Opposition to tile sugar act. 

and for such a time, as they pleased, for the support of a 
military force, to dragoon them into its unconstitutional 
measures. The colonists imagined that they were able to 
defend themselves, and were unwilling to bind themselves 
and their descendents in perpetual servitude. 

" Some of the colonists foresaw the evil of the sugar 
act, and endeavored to hide themselves ; or rather, they 
attempted to crush the egg before the viper should burst 
forth. A dreadful sound had. reached the ever listenmg 
ears of the Bostoinians. They had heard that British min- 
isters were conspiring against their liberties. They had 
heard that an unrighteous law was threatened, to rob them 
of their property ; and they adopted measures to prevent 
or frustrate the obnoxious act, before they knew of its real 
existence. To prepare them for this, their minds had 
been electrified by the lightning of Otis, three years before, 
and a variety of causes had kept the excitement in fine 
preservation." 

At their town meeting in May, 1764, the citizens of 
Boston chose four representatives to the general assembly 
of Massachusetts, and instructed them to secure, if possible, 
the action of the assembly in opposition to this act, and to 
do whatever was possible to induce parliament to repeal it. 
In June, when the assembly convened, Otis, the " first and 
foremost " of these representatives, presented " a statement 
of the rights of the colonies generally, and of Massachusetts 
in particular." The substance of this statement was soon 
embodied in a pamphlet, called " the rights of the British 
colonies asserted and proved," which was rapidly circula- 
ted, and eagerly read. This document aroused the colo- 
nists to a sense of their rights, and excited still more their 
opposition toward the mother country. The doctrines ad- 
vanced received the approbation of the general court and 
of a large majority of the colonists, and were subsequently 
incorporated into the declaration of independence, and into 

What apprehension did the language of it excite ? 
What aroused the Bostonians ? 

What instruction did they give their representatives ? . 
Who was the first of these ? 
What statement did he present ? 

What use was afterv/ards made of it? Its effect on the colonists ? 
15 



170 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

General duirt of Massachusetta. Memorial and letter. 

the national and state constitutions. Copies were sent to 
Mr. Mauduit, the colonial agent in England, to aid him 
in opposing this act, and in his endeavors to procure its re- 
peal. Before the June session of the legislature termina- 
ted, a committee was appointed, on the recommendation of 
the Boston delegation, to communicate to the other colo- 
nies the acts of the court in regard to taxation. 

At the next session of the court, in November, Governor 
Bernard, in his speech to the house, studiously avoided the 
most distant allusion to any of those topics on which the 
court and the colonies had been so much excited, and in 
which thoy still felt so lively an interest. His silence, 
liovvevcr, did not prevent a free discussion of all the meas- 
ures of parliament which had excited so many and such 
painful apprehensions in the colonies. After much discus- 
sion, the court adopted a memorial to the house of com- 
mons, in which they mentioned their grievances and prayed 
for relief. In connection with this memorial the legislature 
sent a letter to Mr. Mauduit, in which they declared, " that 
the people of the colonies have undoubtedly a right by 
charter to tax themselves ; that so far as parliament should 
lay taxes on the colonies, so far they would deprive them of 
this right ; and that, had not the first settlers of this pro- 
vince imagined themselves as secure in the enjoyment of 
this right as of their title to their lands, they probably 
would never have left England. 

" This letter contains a full and explicit declaration of the 
sentiments of the council and assembly of the province, in 
favor of the sole and exclusive right of the legislative au- 
thority in the colonies to raise taxes ; thus virtually deny- 
ing the claims of parliament on this subject. It was the 
first expression of the legislature of any colony, publicly 
made on this momentous question, then beginning to be 
solemnly agitated ; and though it was contained in a letter 
to an individual, that individual was a public agent, the 
document was a public one, and was soon published to the 

Why were copies sent to Mauduit ? 

For what was a committee appointed ? 

What topics did Governor Bernard avoid in his speech ? 

Did this prevent their discussion? 

What memorial was adopted ? 

What accompanied this mexiaorial ? 



BRITISH OrPRESSIGN. IT^l 



Their eft'ect. Stamp act, 

world, as expressive of the views and opinions of the pa- 
triots of Massachusetts." 

These measures stimulated the ardor of the British min- 
istry in their efforts to impose duties on the colonies, made 
them hold the right of taxation with a more tenacious grasp, 
and oppress their colonial subjects with a heavier hand. 
In January, 1765, Lord Grenville revived a bill ho had 
introduced for imposing duties on stamped paper. The 
bill met with warm opposition from Colonel Barre and oth- 
ers, but finally passed by a large majority. Dr. Franklin, 
then in London, wrote to Mr. Thomson, "The sun of liberty 
is set ; you must light up the candles of industry and econ- 
omy." To this Mr. Thomson replied, " Be assured we 
shall light up torches of quite a different sort." 

This bill, generally styled the " the stamp act^"* provided 
that all contracts and legal processes should be written on 
stamped paper; for which an exorbitant price was to be 
paid to British agents. It also imposed penalties in case 
of non-compliance. 

The news of the stamp act excited a burst of indignation 
from one end of the country to the other. Remonstrances and 
petitions to parliament and to the king were the order of the 
day. It was determined by many, that, let the personal 
sacrifice be what it might, they would not continue to use 
articles of British merchandise. 

At this crisis, when the hearts of many were failing them 
for fear, " Patrick Henry stood forth to cheer the drooping 
spirit of the people, and to unite all hearts and hands in the 
cause of his country. He was elected into the general as- 
sembly, with express reference to an opposition to the stamp 
act. It was not, however, expected by his constituents, or 
meditated by himself, that he should lead the opposition. He 
was then but twenty-nine years old. Mr. Henry waited, 
therefore, to file under the first champion that should raise 

What was the effect of these on England? 
Who introduced the subject of the stamp act to parliament ? 
When? (See chart.) How long was this after the writs of assis- 
tance ? After the sugnr act ? What duties did it impose ? 
Who warmly opposed the bill ? 
What remark did it draw forth from Dr. Franklin? 
What reply from Mr. Thomson ? 
\Vhat feelings did it excite in the colonies? 
What champion of liberty did it arouse ? How old was he ? 



172 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Stamp act 



the banner of colonial liberty. At last, finding that the stamp 
act was soon to be in force, and that no one was likely to 
step forth to take the lead against it, he determined to ven- 
ture ; and alone, unadvised and unassisted, wrote the fa- 
mous Vir2:inia resolutions." These were five in number, 
of which four asserted the rights of the colonies, and another 
denied the right of England to tax them. The last of these 
resolutions, more especially, occasioned a violent debate in 
the house of burgesses, and called forth many threats and 
much abuse from those who were in favor of submission 
•' It was in the midst of this debate, while he was descant- 
ing on the tyranny of the obnoxious act, that he exclaimed, 
in a voice of thunder, ' Csesar had his Brutus ; Charles the 
first, his Cromwell ; and George the Third ' — (' Treason' 
cried the speaker, — ' Treason, treason^ echoed from every 
part of the house. Henry faltered not for an instant ; but 
rising to a loftier attitude, and fixing on the speaker an eye 
of the most detennined fire, he finished his sentence with 
the firmest emphasis,) ' may profit by their example. If this 
be treason, make the most of it.' From this period, Mr. 
Henry became the idol of the people of Virginia ; nor was 
his name confined to his native state. His light and heat 
were seen and felt throughout the continent ; and he was 
everywhere regarded as the great champion of colonial 
liberty. The impulse, thus given by Virginia, was felt 
by the other colonies. Her resolutions were everywhere 
adopted. The spirit of resistance became bolder and bold- 
er." 

While the fire of opposition was thus blazing in Virginia, 
similar flames were beginning to break out in each of the 
other colonies. The distributers of stamps were obHged to 
resign their ofHce in Rhode Island and Connecticut. In 
New York, the act was printed and copies of it were pub- 
licly exhibited in the streets, in order to excite the indigna- 
tion of the citizens. In Massachusetts, the general court 
assembled and adopted many spirited resolutions. Without 

What were the '' Virginia resolutions ?" 
How did he close the debate ? 
How did this affect his reputation ? 
The effect of these resolutions in the other places ? 
How was opposition to the stamp act manifested in Rhode Island 
and Connecticut ? In New York ? In Massachusetts ? 



BEITISH OPPRESSION. 173 

Opposition to the stamp act. Pitt and others for America. 

the knowledge of similar proceedings in Virginia, they sent 
letters to each of the other colonies, requesting a colonial 
assembly. Accordingly a congress, composed of delegates 
from most of the colonies, convened on the first Tuesday 
in October at New York. Previous to this, several of the 
colonial assemblies had passed spirited resolutions " assert- 
ing that taxation and representation were inseparable," and 
that England had no right to tax them without their own 
consent. 

The congress drew up a bill of rights and grievances, in 
which they declared their claims to the rights of native- 
born citizens of England. They considered the most essen- 
tial of these, " the right to tax themselves, and the right of 
trial by jury." Of the first, the stamp act was an infringe- 
ment, and the other had been denied them by the jurisdic- 
tion of courts of admiralty. 

The stamp act was to take effect on the first of Novem- 
ber. Previous to this, numerous combinations had been 
formed to prevent its enforcement. 

When the day arrived, bells were tolled as for a funeral. 
" A copy of the act, with a picture of death's head attached 
to it, and with this motto, ' The folly of England and 
THE RUIN of America,' was exposed for sale. This had 
the desired effect ; it excited men to destroy the stamped 
papers, wherever they were found. Opposition to the law 
was so universal, that the stamp officers could not enforce 
the act. The opinion became general that the parliament 
intended to oppress the colonies, and they were far from 
being prepared to submit." 

Many in Great Britain joined with the colonies. Among 
them was Mr. Pitt, one of the most powerful men in par- 
liament. He advocated their cause in the house of com- 
mons, and in 1786, some change having taken place in the 
ministry, the bill was repealed. This would have given 
universal joy to America, had not a clause been inserted in 

Which state requested a general assembly ? 
Where did it convene ? When ? What bill did it pass ? 
What rights did it consider essential ? 
When was this act to take effect ? 
What was done on the day it took eflfect ? 

What was the result ? What was the general opinion and feeling? 
Vv'hat course was taken by Pitt in relation to it ? The result ? 
15^ 



174 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

The lea act. Opposition to it. 

the bill, declaring the right of parliament to " bind the 
COLONIES IN ALL CASES WHATEVER." The colonies justly 
supposed the principle of taxation was not abandoned by the 
mother country ; they were confirmed in this by the de- 
clared intention of the ministry to send soldiers into the 
colonies to compose a standing army, and at the expense 
of the colony or colonies where they should be stationed. 

The assembly of New York refused to sanction the 
measure, considering it a mode of taxing them without 
their consent. The assembly at Boston were still more 
decided in their opposition, and when the governor drew 
money from the treasury to pay for the soldiers' rations, 
they pronounced the measure both unjust and unconstitu- 
tional. These views were exceedingly displeasing to the 
ministry in England, and in May, 1767, a " bill was passed 
by parliament laying a tax on tea, glass, paper and painters' 
colors." This bill is commonly called the tea act. 

This act was sent to the colonies the same year, and pro- 
duced more opposition than the stamp act. The ministry,, 
alarmed by this opposition, required the governor of Mas- 
sachusetts to dissolve the assembly, in case they would 
not rescind a vote directing a circular to be sent to the other 
colonies, which condemned the measures of parliament. 
The assembly voted not to rescind, and was accordingly dis- 
solved by the governor. But instead of intimidating the col- 
onies, this and other oppressive measures of the mother coun- 
try only aroused them to more strenuous and united efforts. 

The dispute continued to increase between the two par- 
ties, and remonstrances and petitions were multiplied. 

In 176S, the agent of Massachusetts in England was re- 
fused an audience with the king. A report was circulated, 

Why were the colonies dissatisfied with the repeal of the act ? 

What had the ministry declared ? 

How did the assembly of New York treat this measure? 

How Massachusetts? 

How did the British ministry regard these proceedings ? 

What bill followed ? When ? (See chart) How long was the tea 

act after the writs of assistance ? Mxex the sugar act ? 
After the stamp act ? 

V/hen was this act sent to the colonies ? How received ? 
What did the ministry require of the governor of Massachusetts ? 
What effects had the dissolving of the assembly upon the colonists ? 
What means did they employ for a redress of grievances ? 
What was the reception of the agent in England in 1768 ? 



BRITISH OPPRESSION. 175 

Arrival ofBriiish troops at Boston. Opposition of Virginia. 

that troops were to march into Boston. This excited so 
much alarm, that a convention was immediately held in that 
town, at which it was determined that the citizens should 
be armed. The governor was twice solicited to call 
the assembly together, but refused, and soon after General 
Gage was ordered to station a regiment in the town, while 
the citizens were stigmatized with the name of rebels. 
Two regiments instead of one arrived, and were protected 
by the ships of war in the harbor. The governor required 
the selectmen to provide barracks for them, but this was 
refused. They were then stationed in the state house. 

This measure greatly increased the indignation against 
the mother country, though for a time it awed the spirit of 
opposition among the citizens. 

In the early part of the year 1769, news reached the 
country that both houses of parliament had recommended 
to the king to pursue rigorous measures with the colonies, 
and advised that the governor should send those who were 
leaders of the opposition to be tried in England. 

The assembly of Virginia, being in session in May, when 
this news arrived, passed some very spirited resolutions 
against the measure, and declared the exclusive right of 
the colonies to tax themselves. The governor immediately 
dissolved the assembly. They however met in another 
place, and passed, among others, resolutions against the 
importation of British goods. Other colonies soon after 
united in similar measures, and agreements were extensive- 
ly entered into, not to import goods from the mother coun- 
try till their grievances were redressed. 

Things remained in this state till the spring of the next 
year, when, on the 5th of March, there was a serious affray 

What report circulated at this time ? Its effect ? 

What step was taken ? What resolve passed ? 

What was the governor requested to do ? 

What was General Gage ordered to do ? 

How many regiments landed ? What did the governor require ? 

What the result ? What the effect of this measure ? 

What news arrived 1769 ? 

What was done by the assembly of Virginia ? When ? 

What course taken by the governor? The assembly? 

What was done by the other colonies ? 

What occurred in the spring of the next year ? 



176 SCHOOL HISTORY, 



Boston massacre. 



at Boston. The soldiers, as they were marching down 
what is now called State street, were insulted by sonie of 
the citizens, when the former fired upon them, and killed 
four persons. 

A very great excitement ensued. The bells were 
rung ; people flocked from the country to the aid of the 
citizens of Boston, and the soldiers were obliged to retire 
to the fortifications in order to escape their fury. The 
soldiers engaged in the affray were tried, and two found 
guilty of manslaughter, while the others were acquitted. 
But the citizens were highly incensed against the soldiers, 
and considered their continuance a nuisance. Parliament 
showed no disposition to relent, but a determination to 
continue oppressive measures. All duties were removed, 
except those on tea. 

During the years 1771 and 1772, no very important 
events occurred, except the appointing of committees in 
the various settlements, who were to hold a correspondence 
and concert measures for their mutual safety. The duties 
on tea still excited the opposition of the colonists, and in- 
duced them to resolve that this article should not be landed, 
or, if landed, should not be sold. 

In consequence of non-importation to America, those 
merchants in London who traded in this article found it 
accumulating in their store-houses, and, at length, deter- 
mined to send it to the colonies. The first cargo arrived at 
Boston on the 29th of November, 1773. No sooner was the 
intelli<Tence of its arrival communicated to the citizens than 
they called a meeting to deliberate and decide what meas- 
ures to adopt. They resolved " that the tea should not be 
landed, that no duty should be paid, and that it should be 
sent back in the same vessel." While the captain was 
preparing to return, two other ships arrived laden with the 
same article. This excited the indignation of the citizens 
to a still higher degree. Another meeting was called 
at the Hall, on the 18th of December. A resolution 
then passed to adhere to their former determination to 

Cause of it ? How many citizens were killed ? 
What were the soldiers obliged to do ? 
What was done to those soldiers engaged in the affray ? 
How were the soldiers viewed by the people ? What the course 
pursued by parlinTnent ? What did the colonists resolve? 



BRITISH OPPRESSION. 177 

Destruction of the tea. Boston port bill. Circulars. 

prevent the landing of the tea. A request was commii- 
nicated to the governor for permission to go on board 
the ships. When his refusal to comply with this re- 
quest was announced to the assembly, an individual, dis- 
guised like an Indian, gave the signal from the gallery, at 
which the people rushed from the house and followed him 
to the wharves. With nearly twenty associates, who were 
disguised like himself, he boarded the vessels, broke open 
three hundred and forty chests of tea and emptied them 
into the ocean. The other cargoes, which were sent to 
Philadelphia and New York, met an opposition equally 
decided, but not quite so destructive. At the former city 
the pilots refused to conduct the ships to the harbor ; and 
at the latter the tea was landed, but the governor was com- 
pelled to give it in charge to the people, who would not 
allow it to be sold. 

When the news of these transactions reached Great Brit- 
ain, parliament was enraged, and determined to punish the 
Bostonians. Hence the Boston port bill was passed, on the 
7th of March, 1774, by which it was ordered that the har- 
bor should be blockaded. The assembly and the custom- 
house were removed to Salem. General Gage was ap- 
pointed governor of Massachusetts. The members of the 
Massachusetts assembly soon after resolved that it was 
necessary a congress of the colonies should be called to 
consult on the affairs of the country, and accordingly nomi- 
nated men to attend it. The governor sent an officer to 
dissolve the assembly, but he found the door shut, and 
could not gain admission. Salem took the part of Boston, 
and opposed the unjust punishment she was made to en- 
dure. Boston sent circulars to other colonies, urging them 
to make it a common cause. Virginia observed the day 
on which the port bill was to take effect in fasting. The 

When was the tea at Boston thrown overboard ? 

Give some account of it. What was done at Philadelphia ? 

In New York ? What bill passed by parliament ? Why ? 

When ? Give some account of the design of the bill. 

To what place did the assembly remove ? 

What else was removed ? Who was appointed governor? 

Upon what did the members of the assembly resolve? 

What was done by the governor ? What was done at Salem ? 

At Bcston ? In Virginia ? 



178 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Consress at Philadelphia. Acts of congress. Preparations for defence. 

people of this colony, as well as several others, united in 
calling a general congress. 

Affairs remained much in this state till the 4th of Sep- 
tember, when the proposed congress convened at Philadel- 
phia. Fifty-five delegates were present. This body, after 
duly organizing, approved what had been done in Massa- 
chusetts in opposition to British oppression, and exhorted 
the Bostonians to persevere in the cause of freedom. They 
wrote to General Gage, entreating him to forbear to use 
oppressive measures, and assuring him of their determined 
and united opposition to his carrying into effect the acts of 
the British parliament by which the rights of the colonies 
were invaded. They admonished him of the consequences 
of the existing state of things, in weaning the affections of 
the people from the mother country, and occasioning a 
perpetual disunion. 

The congress made a declaration of their rights, and 
sent it throughout the colonies. They also drew up a 
petition to the king, in which they stated explicitly their 
grievances. This petition was followed by an earnest 
address to the people of England, written with the most 
manly firmness and peculiar energy. Congress continued 
in session till the 6th of October. 

Contributions were forwarded, during the fall and win- 
ter, to the suffering Bostonians from various places. 

General Gage ordered a provincial assembly, but made 
a counter proclamation before it convened. The delegates, 
however, met and voted themselves " a provincial assem- 
bly." The assembly adjourned from Salem to Concord, 
and took immediate measures for the defence of the colony. 
For this purpose, they recommended that one fourth of the 
militia be prepared at a minute's warning to march for the 

What did the people of this and of several other colonies do? 

When did the first congress meet ? Where ? 

How many delegates were present ? 

What did they do ? What did they write to General Gage ? 

What declaration did they make ? What petition ? 

What address ? What aid did Boston receive ? 

What ordered by General Gage ? What before it convened ? 

What did the delegates do? To what place did they adjourn? 

(3) Where is Salem ? What measures adopted ? 

What recomvneTided by th'^ri; ? 



BRITISH OrPRESSION. 179 



Attemp!. to take the stores at. MiUMii. AcKliiionai preparations. Whiysaiul i ones. 

defence of Boston, or for other service. Military stores 
were collected at Concord, Danvers and other places. 

A detachment of British troops was sent from Boston to 
take possession of the stores at Salem or Danvers. But the 
people, aware of their intent, raised the draw of the bridge 
over which they must pass in order to go to the stores, and 
thus prevented the troops from crossing till the commanding 
officer had promised to return immediately. He was per- 
suaded to give up the object of his pursuit, by one of the 
ministers of Salem, Rev. Mr. Shepherd, who assured him 
that the people were so enraged, that blood must be shed 
if he persevered. 

The spirit which was manifested here deterred General 
Gage from further effort to get possession of the stores, and 
delayed for a time the crisis which seemed rapidly ap- 
proaching. 

The season vi'as faithfully improved by the colonies in 
preparation for defence. They were in hourly expectation 
of being called to arms. Death was preferred to slavery, 
and many were ready to sacrifice their lives on the altar of 
freedom. Those who sympathized with these feelings 
were called Whigs, and those who did not were stigmatized 
as Tories and as enemies to the country. 

We have adverted to some of the prominent causes of 
the American revolution, causes which the pure principles 
of the gospel of peace might have counteracted and have 
saved both England and America an immense loss of prop- 
erty and life, but which, left to their natural operation from 
the close of the French war, alienated the feelings of the 
colonies from the mother country till the close of this peri- 
od, when almost every citizen was ready at a moment's 
warning to draw his sword and rush to the conflict. The 
next chapter will present the bloody scenes which followed. 

Where were stores collected ? 

(3) Where are these towns ? Which way from Boston? 

What detachment sent from Boston ? With what intent ? 

How did the people prevent the passage of the troops ? 

What did Rev. Mr. Shepherd do ? 

To whom was the term Whig applied ? 

To whom the term Tory ? 

What was the state of the colonies at the close of this period? 



180 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Questions. 



GEOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONS. 

CHAPTER V. 

(2) Which way is the island of Port Royal from Charleston 1 
Cape Fear from Florida ? In what part of South Carolina are St. 
Bartholomew, Stono and Saltcatchers ? (3) In what part of Vermont 
is Brattleboro' ? (2) Which way is Georgia from Florida ? (4) In 
what part of Virginia is Westmoreland? (1) In what part of the 
island of Cape Breton is Louisburg? (2) Where was Fort Du 
Quesne ? Which way is Crown Point from Nova Scotia ? (3) 
Where was Fort Edrvard ? Which way from Crown Point ? From 
Lake George ? From Fort William Henry ? Which way from 
Ticonderoga is Fort William Henry? Fort Edward? Lake 
George ? Which way from Louisburg to Crown Point ? From 
each of these to Fort Du Quesne ? Where is Pittsburg ? What 
was its former name ? Which way from Crown Point is the isle of 
La Noiz ? (2) Which way from Quebec is Point Levi ? Which 
way from Quebec is the isle of Orleans ? Montreal ? (3) Where is 
Salem ? Danvers ? Concord ? 



CHRONOLOGICAL QUESTIONS. 

CHAPTER V, 

For what is this period distinguished ? How many years does it 
include ? How many divisions of the line does it occupy ? How 
nmch longer space does it occupy than the fourth ? Than the 
third ? Than the second ? How much less than the first ? With 
what date and event does it begin ? With what does it end ? 
When did the Indian war in South Carolina begin ? How long did 
it continue ? How long was it after King Philip's war ? After the 
Pequod war ? When was New Orleans founded ? How long after 
Charleston ? Jamestown ? Philadelphia ? New York ? Hart- 
ford ? Providence ? Boston ? Salem ? Dover ? What do you 
remember about Louisiana at the same time ? About the pirates ? 
What disturbed Carolina two or three years after this ? When 



BRITISH OPPRESSION. 



Questions. 



was Vermont settled ? — How long after the settlement of Maine ? 
New Hampshire ? Massachusetts? Rhode Island? Connecti- 
cut ? New York ? For what was the name of Ralle distinguished 
at this time ? What dispute arose between Governor Bernard and 
the colonists about five years after this ? Who ascended the throne 
of England the previous year? When was Georgia settled?— 
How long after the settlement of Louisiana? Of South Carolina? 
North Carolina ? Virginia ? Pennsylvania ? Maryland ? What 
distinguished individual was born the same year ? On what month 
and day ? In what year did England commence a war with Spain 
and Oglethorpe invade Florida? W^hat do you recollect about 
these two events ? How long after this was war declared against 
France ? Give an account of the principal expeditions in this 
war. When did it end? How long after the French engaged 
in it ? After the Spanish engaged in it ? What event dis- 
tinguished the year 1753 ? Where did Braddock die ? What 
were the circumstances of his death ? What four expeditions 
were planned just before it ? What was the result of each ? 
How long after this was war formally declared? What is it gen- 
erally called ? How many divisions in the line and how many 
years from this to the commencement of the Pequod war ? Of 
King Philip's war ? Of King William's ? Of Queen Ann's ? Of 
that under George the Second ? Which of these wars was the long- 
est ? The shortest ? The most advantageous to the colonies ? 
The most disadvantageous ? When was the attack on Fort Wil- 
liam Henry ? — What three expeditions were planned the next 
year ? Who was the commander in each ? Give an account of 
these expeditions. When was Canada surrendered to the English ? 
What that had disturbed the southern colonies, terminated the next 
year ? When did the war with France end ? How long was it ? 
What were the conditions of peace ? When did opposition to the 
writs of assistance commence ? — What oppressive act in 1765 ? — 
What opposition was made to it in the different states ? When did 
congress convene at New York ? — When was the stamp act to go 
into operation ? When was the tea act passed ? How long after 
this did British troops arrive at Boston ? When was the Boston 
massacre ? — When was the tea destroyed at Boston ? — What bill did 
this induce parliament to pass ? When ? When was the congress 
at Philadelphia ? — How many divisions of the chart in this pe- 
riod ? Which of these contains the greatest number of dates ? 
Which the least ? How many events are chronologized in that 
part of the eighteenth division included in this period ? Give their 
dates, and tell what you recollect about them and about any other 
events which you may have associated with them. Do the same 
in regard to the events in the nineteenth. The twentieth. The 
twenty-first. The twenty-second. When did the French war be- 
gin ? When did it end ? When were the writs of assistance ? 
The sugar act ? The tea act ? The stamp act ? Boston port bill? 

16 



182 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Lexinelon and Concord. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Embracing eight years; from the commencement of the revolu- 
tion, in 1775, to its close, in 1783. 

PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 

SECTION I. 

Campaign of 1775. 

At the commencement of the year 1775, the eyes of the 
whole country were fixed on Boston. Sympathy with her 
suffering citizens was general, and thousands were ready 
to take up arms ; and necessity soon called out the colonial 
troops. 

Stores had been collected at Concord a few miles dis- 
tant from Boston. In April, General Gage ordered a 
company of men to proceed there and take them. Major 
Pitcairn, who commanded the expedition, arrived at Lex- 
ington about five o'clock on the morning of the 19th, where 
he found a small number of men under arms. He rode 
forward and cried out, " Disperse, you rebels ! throw down 
your arms and disperse." Observing that the men did not 
obey, he immediately fired on them and killed eight of 
their number. Thus was commenced a war which was 
long and sanguinary. 

The troops proceeded to Concord, arrived there about 
noon, took possession of the stores and then retreated. 
They were followed by the citizens, who opened on them 
a most destructive fire from behind fences, rocks, trees, and 
from many other such places of concealment. The whole 
party, would have been cut off before reaching Boston, if a 

What occurred at Lexington ? When ? At Concord? 
(3) Which way is Lexington from Boston ? From Concord? 
What happened to them on their return ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 183 

Arrival of more troups al Ijosloa. SccimuI Congress al Pliil. Haltle al Ijiu.kcr Mill. 

reinforcement had not been sent to aid thcni. I\Iany wore 
slain before the reinforcement met them; the survivors 
effected a retreat. 

Soldiers from all quarters flocked immediately to the 
neighborhood of Boston. Twelve thousand were soon 
under arms. Gage was too weak to attack them, and they 
were unwilling to destroy the town by attacking him. 

The hand of Providence was conspicuous in these events, 
and still more so at later periods, in removing obstacles 
which seemed insurmountable, and enabling the pilgrims 
to repel a power ready to crush them. 

In May, Generals Howe, Clinton and Burgoyne arrived 
at Boston with lar^e reinforcements from England. Mar- 
tial law was proclaimed in the town. Pardon was oflered 
to all who would return to their allegiance, except to Ad- 
ams and Hancock ; but in vain. The ofTer made the peo- 
ple still more indignant, while some of the most brave 
and worthy were excluded from the clemency of the k\n<x. 

In accordance with the advice of the second contbicntat 
congress^ which assembled at Philadelphia, May 17, 1775. 
the Americans decided to fortify themselves on Bunker 
Hill, for the purpose of annoying the enemy. 

Subsequent to the battle of Lexington, and previous to 
the 16th of June, little had been done by the army collected 
at Cambridge, except to watch the enemy. But it was 
then decided to attempt erecting a fortification on Bunker 
Hill in Charlestown, which would command a part of Bos- 
ton harbor. Accordingly General Ward issued orders to 
Colonels Prescott and Bridge to furnish their troops with 
one day's provision and prepare for an expedition. Simi- 
lar orders were issued to General Putnam for one hundred 
and twenty of his men, and to Captain Gridley's company 
of artillery. The whole force amounted to one thousand. 

Why were not all the detachment destroyed ? ■ 

How many men collected in the vicinity of Boston ? 

Who arrived at Boston in JMay ? 

What proclamation ? AVhat offer made ? 

What the effect upon the people ? 

When and where did the second continental congress assemble ? 

What their advice to the people near Boston ? 

What orders did General Ward issue on the IHth ol" June? 

Of how many men did the whole force consist ? 

What orders were issued to Pi escoll ? 



1S4 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

" Battle at Bunker Hill. 



General Putnam commanded the troops, and Colonel Grid- 
Icy was appointed engineer. 

Alter religious services on Cambridge common, Colonel 
Prcscott, an elderly and distinguished officer, prqceeded 
with the detachment to Charlestown, lighting his way with 
dark lanterns. The object of the e:<pcdition was concealed 
from the soldiers till they passed Charlestown neck, when 
ihey saw the wagons filled with intrenching tools, fascines 
and empty hogsheads. As they were about to stack arms, 
some doubts arose respecting the place to be fortified. 
Blinker Hill was the most defensible position, but Breed's 
Hill was best fitted to annoy the enemy. Having consumed 
part of the night in consultation, they finally pitched upon 
Breed's Hill, and Colonel Gridley laid out the works. 

The redoubt on its summit was about eight rods square, 
irom the north-east corner of which a breastwork run 
north to a slough at the base of the hill. 

It vc'as midnight before they commenced their work ; 
and their proximity to the enemy, and the short time for 
labor, demanded the utmost silence and vigilance. Colo- 
nel Prescott and Major Brooks proceeded to the shore 
near the ferry to reconnoitre. Every thing was quiet. 
Tiiey heard the frequent but unfounded cry of the sentries, 
"■ AlVs well ;^' while Putnam repaired to head quarters to 
make preparations for the crisis of the coming day. 

The dawn of day removed the veil from the eyes of the 
enemy, who could scarcely believe the evidence of their 
senses when they saw the rebels above them with formida- 
ble works, and ready to give them battle. 

The cannon of the enemy's ship Lively first opened upon 
the Americans, and aroused the whole army from their 

Who commanded the expedition ? Who was the chief engineer ? 
from what place did the detachment march ? (5) Which way ? 
Which way is Charlestown neck from Bunker Hill ? 
Which way is the latter from Breed's Hill ? 
On what jiart of the latter was the redoubt ? How large ? 
What extended from the north-east corner of it? 
In what ilireetion ? When did the men begin the work? 
Which way from the redoubt was the ferry ? 

What were the feelings of the British when they saw the fortifica- 
tions the next morning? 
"Which side commenced the attack ? 




.^ 



AMERICAN IlEVOLUTION. 1S5 

" Battle at Bunker Hill. ~ 

repose to participate in the general astonishment. The 
floating batteries, the Somerset line of battle ship, and a 
formidable battery on Copp's Hill, soon opened a tremen- 
dous fire upon the redoubt and breastwork, yet with little 
effect. One man, however, venturing in front of the 
works, was killed. To dispel the fear occasioned by this 
fatal accident, Prescott mounted the works, where he was 
discovered by General Gage, who was reconnoitring in 
Boston, Gage handed his telescope to Vv'illard, inquiring, 
"Who is that officer?" Willard, who was his brother-in- 
law, instantly recognised Colonel Prescott. " Will he fight ?" 
inquired Gage. " Yes, sir, depend upon it, to the last drop 
of blood in him ; but I cannot answer for his men." 

General Gage immediately called a council of w^ar ; 
while the Americans, having by this time learned to de- 
spise the fire of the enemy, continued their work, though 
worn out by fatigue, with renewed zeal. The result of 
this council was soon discovered to the Americans by the 
mancEuvring of the British troops in the streets of Boston. 
" Now, my boys," says Prescott, " we shall have a fight, 
and shall beat them too," 

Owing to the great sufferings of the men, Colonel Pres- 
cott sent Major Brooks to Cambridge for relief; and Colo- 
nels Reed and IStark, with the New Hampshire troops, were 
ordered to proceed to Charlestown as a reinforcement. 

At twelve o'clock, the British, having made arrange- 
ments for an attack, started from Long wharf in Boston, 
in twenty-eight barges, and sailed in parallel lines. 

The detachment vi'^as commanded by General Howe, and 
consisted of the fifth, thirty-eighth, forty-third and fiftj^- 
seventh battalions of infantry, ten companies of grenadiers 
and ten of light infantry. 

From what places ? Which way were they from the American 

fortifications ? Who was killed by this fire ? 

What did Prescott do to quell the rising fears of his men ? 

Who saw him from Boston ? 

What did they say to each other respecting him ? 

What soon manifested the determination of the British council of 
war? What did Prescott say on the occasion? 

For what was Brooks sent to Cambridge ? Did he succeed ? 

Where is Long wharf ? At what time did the British sail from it ? 

In what manner ? Who commanded them ? 
16* 



186 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Battle on Bunker Hill. 

A part landed at Morton's Point, and the remainder, 
consisting of marines and the forty-seventh regiment, 
landed where the navy-yard is now situated. Meanwhile 
Creneral Putnam ordered Captain Knowlton, with the 
Connecticut troops, to station himself behind a rail fence 
extending from the shore of the Mystic to the road, two 
hundred and fifty yards. To protect themselves, they 
took another fence near this and placed against the 
former, with new-mown grass between. This formed 
their breastwork. The fence was one hundred and ninety 
yards in the rear of the breastwork, on the right; a 
similar breastwork was extended from the south-east 
corner of the redoubt. 

General Howe, the British commander, arranged his 
men in columns for an assault. The command of the 
left wing was given to General Pigot, and the right he 
commanded in person. He commenced the attack with his 
heaviest pieces, and from the batteries and battle ships 
opened a tremendous fire, in order to demolish the Ameri- 
can works at once, and render the charg-e of the liofht 
troops successful. The Americans assembled from all 
quarters, anxious to be led to action or witness the 
contest. 

General Pomeroy, learning that the enemy were com- 
mencing an attack, rode to the neck, which now be- 
came hazardous from the raking fire of the British 
batteries, and feared, it is said, not for himself, but for 
his horse, which he left with a sentry and passed across 
on foot. General Warren came on to the field about 
the same time, and both tendered their services as volun- 
teers, Warren at the redoubt and Pomeroy at the fence on 
the left. 



Where did the principal part of them land ? 

Which way is that from Long wharf? 

Where did the remainder land ? 

Which way is the navy-yard from Morton's Point ? 

What was the amount of the British force ? 

How did Howe arrange his troops for the battle ? 

Who passed the Charlestown neck after the charge from the bat- 
teries ? 

What other American officer came on to the field about the same 
time ? Where was each stationed ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 187 

< r- "^ ' — ■ I 

Battle on Bunker Hill. 

As the British column moved slowly along, the Ameri- 
can drum beat to arms. The men engaged in raising the 
breastwork threw down their tools, and all, amounting at 
this time to about two thousand five hundred, rushed 
to battle. Putnam rode along the lines, encouraging the 
men. " Boys," says he, " don't you fire till you can see 
the white of their eyes. Powder and ball are scarce and 
must not be wasted. Reserve your fire till they are within 
eight rods ; then, when commanded, be sure of your aim 
and the enemy are all destroyed." 

General Howe marched to the attack of the rail fence, 
sending a few companies along the shore of the Mystic to 
turn the American left. 

General Pigot opened his columns upon the redoubt, 
though with little effect. The Americans reserved their 
fire till he arrived at the required distance, and then poured 
into the British line their murderous blaze. Rank after 
rank of the enemy were mown down. The ground was 
covered with the dead and wounded, and the British were 
compelled to retreat. In the mean time, a similar charge 
was made by General Howe on the left, and his troops 
met with a similar fate. They all retired to Morton's Hill, 
and prepared for a second attack. 

Putnam made great efforts to bring on reinforcements, 
but the neck was rendered so hazardous by the fire of the 
British that few could be persuaded to cross. The British. 
commenced a second attack in the same form as before. 
But they had serious obstacles to encounter. The heat of 
the day was great; the tall, unmown grass impeded them; 
their heavy knapsacks, of one hundred and twenty-five 

How were some of the men engaged when the drum beat to arms f 

"What was the whole force of the Americans at this time ? 

How was Putnam employed at this time ? 

What did he say to the soldiers ? 

What part of the American column did Howe aim to attack ? 

Where did he send a few companies of his men ? For what ? 

Against what did Pigot direct his attack ? 

What was the result of his attack ? Of Howe's ? 

Where did they retire ? Why ? 

What prevented the reinforcements from joining the Americans ? 

In what order did the British make a second attack? 

What new obstacle had they to meet ? 



18S SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Battle on Bunker Bui. 



pounds each, weighed them down ; and the dead bodies of 
their fellow soldiers were to be passed over. 

As the British columns were marching slowly to the 
attack and the fire from all their batteries was .renewed, 
Charlestown was set on fire from the battery on Copp's 
Hill, and the flames, ascending to heaven on the spire of 
the church, presented a scene awfully sublime. The 
Americans again reserved their fire till the enemy were 
within six rods, when they mowed them down in the 
sam.e deadly manner as before. General Howe pressed 
on to the hottest part of the fight, but his men were all shot 
down around him, and he was obliged to follow his retreat- 
ing army even to their boats. 

The British were so thoroughly routed that the Ameri- 
cans thought themselves masters of the field, and began to 
exult in victory; but the British officers, chagrined at their 
ill success, and deaf to the remonstrances of the soldiers, 
ordered their troops to prepare for a third attack. 

A new plan was adopted ; the forces were to be concen- 
trated at the redoubt, while they kept up the same appear- 
ance as they had in their previous attacks. Their knap- 
sacks were laid aside; firing with muskets w^as prohibited, 
and they were ordered to march directly up to the works 
and storm them at the point of the bayonet. General 
Clinton, who had witnessed the retreat of his best troops, 
came over and led or rather droi^e the British up before 
the murderous lines. The artillery passed up the road so 
as to drive the Americans at the breastwork into the re- 
doubt. They now ascertained that their ammunition w^as 
nearly expended, but still determined to fight with stones 
and the breeches of their guns. The British, led by Clinton, 

What destruction from the battery on Copp's Hill ? 

What scene was presented ? 

How near did the British approach before the Americans ftred a 
second time ? The effect of this fire ? 

What did Howe do ? 

What were the feelings of the Americans when the British re- 
treated ? Why a third attack made ? 

What was the order of it ? 

What British general now took the command 1 What did he do? 

Why did the artillery pass np the road ? 

What did the Americans ascertain ? 

VV'^ith what did they determine to fight? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 189 

Battle on Bunker Hill. 

Pigot and Howe, came up to the redoubt on all sides except 
the north, and were warmly received; but they closed 
their ranks and marched directly over the embankment 
into the redoubt, while Prescott, overpowered by numbers 
and destitute of ammunition, ordered a retreat. 

General Warren was the last to leave the redoubt. He 
was recognised by his friend Major Small, Avho ordered his 
men not to fire at him, but at that moment, a musket-ball 
passed through his head and killed him instantly ! 

The British now discharged their muskets, and the 
Americans suffered more severely than at any previous 
time during the action. The left wing, confident of victory, 
was perfectly astonished at this sudden retreat of the right, 
and was obliged to retire. A few companies of fresh troops 
opened their fire upon the enemy and kept them in check. 
While the Americans passed across the neck to the several 
heights in the vicinity, the British remained on Bunker 
Hill. 

To the enemy the victory was dear. Their loss in killed 
and wounded was more than one thousand. Among the 
former were nineteen officers and two hundred and nine 
soldiers ; among the latter seventy officers and seven hun- 
dred and fifty-eight soldiers. The American loss was one 
hundred and fifteen killed, three hundred and five wound- 
ed, and thirty taken prisoners. The battle produced to 
the Americans many advantages. They learned by it that 
the enemy were not invulnerable, and that there was no 
longer any reasonable hope of reconciliation with the 
mother country. The wanton conflagration of Charles- 

Against what did the British generals direct their concentrated 

forces? How? 
Why did Prescott order the Americans to retreat ? 
Who was the last to leave the redoubt ? 
What did Small, a British officer; order ? 
What was Warren's fate ? 
What proved very destructive to the Americans as they were 

retreating ? To what places did they retire ? 
Where did the British remain ? 

Which secured the greater advantage from the action ? 
How great was the loss in this battle to the British ? 
To the Americans ? 
What did they learn from it ? 



190 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Generals. Wa^hing-lon at Cambridge. Acts uf congress. 

town led many to espouse the cause of the Americans who 
had before been friendly to the British.* 

This battle had a very important bearing on the success 
of the struggle in which the country was engaged. 

Two days before it, congress, which had assembled at 
Philadelphia in May, appointed George Washington com- 
mander-in-chief of all the forces raised or to he raised in 
the country. Artemas V/ard, Philip Schuyler, Israel Put- 
nam and Colonel Lee were appointed major generals, and 
Horatio Gates, adjutant general. These appointments were 
highly judicious. 

Washington, like a »nan of real greatness and worth, 
received the appointment with apparent distrust of his own 
powers, and declined all compensation for his services, 
allowing congress merely to defray the expenses attendant 
on his office. 

On the 3d of July, when Washington arrived at Cam- 
bridge, the head quarters of the American troops, he found 
the British in possession of Bunker and Breed's Hills, 
with three floating batteries on Mystic river, a twenty-gun 
ship below the ferry between Boston and Charlestown, 
with a battery on Copp's Hill and fortifications on the Neck. 
He found the Americans arranged in three principal divis- 
ions, the right wing in Roxbury, the central division in 
Cambridge and the left wing on the high lands north-east 
of Cambridge toward Mystic river ; (see map No. V. ;) 
while smaller divisions were stationed on the heights from 
the extreme right to the furthest left. By this disposition 
of the colonial troops the enemy were closely confined to 
Boston, and prevented from receiving supplies except from 
their ships. 

Congress soon after agreed upon articles of confedera- 
tion, published to the world their proceedings and in- 
tentions, and confidently declared the justice of their 
cause. Other measures for prosecuting the war were 

Who was elected commander-in-chief on the 15lh of June ? 

How did he receive the appointment ? 

What was his compensation ? 

When did Washington arrive at Cambridge ? 

What was then the situation of the 'Oritish army ? 

Of the American ? On what did congress .soon after agree? 

V/hat did they publish ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 191 

Expedition against, Canada. 

agreed on, and communicated to the commander-in-chief. 
Among them was a plan for the invasion of Canada, and 
for the campaign of the year 1776. 

The British, in the mean time, evincing no disposition 
to abandon their object of reducing the colonies, a bill was 
passed prohibiting trade vv'ith them, and declaring ."their 
ships a legal prize to those who should take them. Seven- 
teen thousand Hessian troops were hired to prosecute the 
war, and twenty-five thousand English soldiers were or- 
dered to the same service. No answer was given to the 
petitions and remonstrances which had been sent to the 
king and parliament. The prospects of the colonies were 
exceedingly gloomy ; but still there w^as no disposition to 
abandon their enterprise. To them, the choice between 
death and slavery was easily made. Bristol, in Rhode 
Island, and Falmouth, in Massachusetts, were burnt by the 
British, and other acts of cruelty were committed. 

In 1775, the Americans proceeded in two divisions for 
the reduction of Canada, one by the way of lake Cham- 
plain, under General Schuyler, and another through Maine, 
under Arnold. Carleton, governor of Canada, apprized of 
the intentions of the Americans, sent a reinforcement to St. 
Johns, on the Sorell river, north of lake Champlain,to pre- 
vent the troops from invading his province. Schuyler's force, 
amounting to about two thousand men collected from New 
York and New England, assembled at Ticonderoga. From 
this place he sent a detachment under General Montgomery 
to invest St. Johns. General Schuyler soon followed him 
with the remainder of his troops, and when he arrived at 
the isle Aux Noix, a few miles south of St. Johns, he sent 
a circular to the Canadians, whom, having assured of his 
friendly intentions, he urged to throw off the British yoke, 
assert their independence and enlist in the sacred cause 

What disposition evinced by the British ? What places burnt ? 
By whom ? In how many divisions did the Americans attempt 

the reduction of Canada ? Who commanded each ? 
By what routes did they march ? What place did Carleton fortify ? 
Where is it ? Where did General Schuyler assemble his force ? 
How large ? From what places ? 

Whom did he send to St. Johns ? (3) Where is St. Johns ? 
For what ? What did he soon do ? 
What was the object of his circular to the Canadians ? 



194 SCHOOL HISTOEY. 

Attack on Quebec. 



mountains to the St. Lawrence. He did not commence his 
march till the middle of September. His men suffered 
incredibly from the severity of the weather, from want of 
provision, and the natural difficulties of the route. Many 
of them perished, and others were obliged to return. The 
remainder, amounting to about seven hundred men, reached 
Point Levi, over against Quebec, on the 9th of November ; 
and on the 13th, he crossed the St. Lawrence, paraded his 
troops on the plains of Abraham and marched toward the 
city. But, unwilling to hazard an engagement with a force 
so much superior to his own, he retired, on the 18th, to 
Point Aux Trembles, twenty miles above Quebec, and there 
awaited the arrival of Montgomery. 

The two armies met on the 1st of December and pro- 
ceeded toward the city. The conjoined force did not amount 
to one thousand fighting men. On the 5th, Montgomery 
demanded the surrender of the city. But Governor Carle- 
ton, strongly fortified and aided by fifteen hundred able- 
bodied men, commanded his troops to fire upon the bearer 
of the message. After several unsuccessful attempts upon 
the city, the American officers resolved to make one furious 
and desperate assault. They marched, on the morning of 
the 31st of December, in four columns under the command 
of Montgomery, Arnold, Livingston and Brown. The two 
latter were to feign attacks upon the upper town in order 
to secure the attention of the besieged, while the two former 
were to attack the lower town at opposite points. The 
former did not arrive in season to accomplish their object. 
Montgomery led his valiant column through a rough and 
narrow passage to a stockade of strong posts, through 
which as they forced an entrance, they received a charge 
of grape shot from a cannon. This proved fatal to Mont- 

"When did they commence their march? 

From what causes did they suffer? 

With how many men did he arrive ? What became of the rest ? 

When did he reach Point Levi ? The plains of Abraham ? 

To what place did he retire ? When ? Why ? 

When did he meet Montgomery ? How large was their united force? 

How large was the British force ? Who commanded it ? 

When was the city summoned to surrender ? 

What was done to the messenger ? 

When was a general attack made on the city ? In what order? 

The object of the attack on the upper town ? Did it succeed? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 195 

Attack on Quebec. Plaa of the campaign of 1776. 

gomery and several of his officers and men, and threw the 
rest into such confusion that Colonel Campbell, on whom 
the command then devolved, ordered a retreat. 

Arnold, who had already commenced the attack on the 
opposite part of the town, was severely wounded and carried 
to the hospital. The command devolved on Colonel Mor- 
gan, who, by a bold sally, drove the enemy from their guns 
to their second battery, a short distance in rear of the first. 
Of this also he soon became master. But, as he pressed 
forward with ardent hopes of victory, the deadly fire of the 
garrison in front, combined with that of the artillery, who 
cut off his retreat in the rear, compelled him to surrender. 
The Americatis lost in this enterprise about four hundred, 
while few of the British were slain. Arnold, with four 
hundred men, retired three miles below Quebec, where, 
wnth his inferior force, he kept the British garrison in con- 
tinual awe. 

[The geographical and chronological questions on this and each 
succeeding section may be found at the end of the chapter.] 



S E C T I o N 1 1 . 
Campaign of 1776. 

The plan of the British in regard to the campaign of 
1776 included, in addition to the expulsion of the Ameri- 
cans from Canada, two expeditions ; one against the south- 
ern colonies, under General Clinton and Sir Peter Parker, 
and another against New York, under Admiral and Sir 
William Howe. The plan of the Americans was, of 
course, to repel these attacks. 

When congress received intelligence of the defeat of the 
Americans at Quebec, reinforcements were ordered to join 
the army in Canada. During the month of March, 1776, 
the number of Arnold's troops was greatly augmented, and 
on the 1st of May, General Thomas arrived, having been 

What was the result of the attack on the lower town under Mont- 
gomery ? Under Arnold ? 
What was the loss of the Americans in this battle ? 
How did it compare with that of the British ? 
Where did Arnold retire ? Plan of the campaign of 1776 .' 
What did congress do on llje intelUgeuce of this defeat ? 



194 SCHOOL HISTOEY, 



Attack: on Quebec. 



moiintains to the St. Lawrence. He did not commence his 
march till the middle of September. His men suffered 
incredibly from the severity of the weather, from want of 
provision, and the natural difficulties of the route. Many 
of them perished, and others were obliged to return. The 
remainder, amounting to about seven hundred men, reached 
Point Levi, over against Quebec, on the 9th of November ; 
and on the 13th, he crossed the St. Lawrence, paraded his 
troops on the plains of Abraham and marched toward the 
city. But, unwilling to hazard an engagement with a force 
so much superior to his own, he retired, on the 18th, to 
Point Aux Trembles, twenty miles above Quebec, and there 
awaited the arrival of Montgomery. 

The two armies met on the 1st of December and pro- 
ceeded toward the city. The conjoined force did not amount 
to one thousand fighting men. On the 5th, Montgomery 
demanded the surrender of the city. But Governor Carle- 
ton, strongly fortified and aided by fifteen hundred able- 
bodied men, commanded his troops to fire upon the bearer 
of the message. After several unsuccessful attempts upon 
the city, the American officers resolved to make one furious 
and desperate assault. They marched, on the morning of 
the 31st of December, in four columns under the command 
of Montgomery, Arnold, Livingston and Brown. The two 
latter were to feign attacks upon the upper town in order 
to secure the attention of the besieged, while the two former 
were to attack the lower town at opposite points. The 
former did not arrive in season to accomplish their object. 
Montgomery led his valiant column through a rough and 
narrow passage to a stockade of strong posts, through 
which as they forced an entrance, they received a charge 
of grape shot from a cannon. This proved fatal to Mont- 

When did they commence their march? 

From what causes did they suffer ? 

With how many men did he arrive ? What became of the rest ? 

When did he reach Point Levi ? The plains of Abraham ? 

To what place did he retire ? When ? Why ? 

When did he meet Montgomery ? How large was their united force? 

How large was the British force ? Who commanderl it ? 

When was the city summoned to surrender ? 

What was done to the messenger ? 

When was a general attack made on the city ? In what order? 

The object of the attack on the upper town ? Did it succeed? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 195 

Attack on Quebec. Plaa of the campaign of 1776. 

gomery and several of his officers and men, and threw the 
rest into such confusion that Colonel Campbell, on whom 
the command then devolved, ordered a retreat. 

Arnold, who had already commenced the attack on the 
opposite part of the town, was severely wounded and carried 
to the hospital. The command devolved on Colonel Mor- 
gan, who, by a bold sally, drove the enemy from their guns 
to their second battery, a short distance in rear of the first. 
Of this also he soon became master. But, as he pressed 
forward with ardent hopes of victory, the deadly fire of the 
garrison in front, combined with that of the artillery, who 
cut off his retreat in the rear, compelled him to surrender. 
The Americans lost in this enterprise about four hundred, 
while few of the British were slain. Arnold, with four 
hundred men, retired three miles below Quebec, where, 
with his inferior force, he kept the British garrison in con- 
tinual awe. 

[The geographical and chronological questions on this and each 
succeeding section may be found at the end of the chapter.] 



SECTION II. 
Campaign of 1776. 

The plan of the British in regard to the campaign of 
1776 included, in addition to the expulsion of the Ameri- 
cans from Canada, two expeditions ; one against the south- 
ern colonies, under General Clinton and Sir Peter Parker, 
and another against New York, under Admiral and Sir 
William Howe. The plan of the Americans was, of 
course, to repel these attacks. 

When congress received intelligence of the defeat of the 
Americans at Quebec, reinforcements were ordered to join 
the army in Canada. During the month of March, 1776, 
the number of Arnold's troops was greatly augmented, and 
on the 1st of May, General Thomas arrived, having been 

What was the result of the attack on the lower town under Mont- 
gomery ? Under Arnold ? 
What was the loss of the Americans in this batile ? 
How did it compare with that of the British ? 
Where did Arnold retire ? Plan of the campaign of 1776 .' 
What did congress do on tlse intellie-eriee of this defeat ? 



196 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Evacuation of Boston. 



appointed to command in place of the lamented Montgom- 
ery. He found his army to consist of less than two thou- 
sand men, many of whom sickness rendered unfit for active 
service. Soon after his arrival, the enemy were also rein- 
forced by fresh troops from England. With the loss of 
many of his troops, he was driven before a vastly superior 
force from post to post, till his death. On the 1st of June, 
he was succeeded by General Sullivan, who, equally dis- 
couraged as his predecessor by the disparity between his 
own troops and those of the enemy, and being closely 
pursued, retreated further south to St. Johns. Here he 
received orders from General Schuyler to continue his 
march to Crown Point. In obedience to this command, he 
evacuated Canada, and arrived at the post which Schuyler 
had designated on the 15th of June, 1776. 

Early in the same year, V/ashington determined to expel 
the enemy from Boston, although his forces did not exceed 
fifteen thousand men. To this end a battery Avas erected, 
on the night of the 4th of March, on Dorchester heights. 
General Howe, w-ho commanded the shipping, now saw 
that he must dislodge the Americans from this advantage- 
ous post, which menaced his shipping with destruction, or 
he must evacuate the place. He accordingly despatched a 
Cew regiments to attempt the former ; but Providence ren- 
dered their efforts abortive by a violent tempest of wind 
and rain. The Americans had, by this time, rendered 
their works too strong to be easily carried. The only al- 
ternative for the English, therefore, was to evacuate Bos- 
ton, which they did on the 17th of March. Washington 
immediately entered it in triumph, to the great joy of the 
inhabitants of the town, who had, for a long time, been 
closely confined by General Gage, from whom they had 
suffered every variety of indignity. 

When the British evacuated Boston, they sailed for 
Halifax. But the central situation of New York led 

17110 was appointed to the command ? How large was his army ? 
Who took the command on his death ? Where did he retire ? 
V/lien did he evacuate Canada ? At whose command ? 
What was attempted by Washington early in 1776 ? 
Wliere did he erect a battery ? (5) Which way are they from 

Boston ? When ? 
What v/as done by Howe? When did the British evacuate Boston? 
Where did they sail ? (3) Which way is that from Boston ? 



AMERICAN KEVOLUTTON. , 197 

Troiip.s al Xcw York. AUack on Cliarleslou. 

Waslilnglou to expect their next attempt would be made 
against that city. Accordingly he determined to leave Bos- 
ton and prepare to defend New York. He arrived there 
with his troops about the middle of April ; and the British 
soon made their appearance. Before we give an account 
of the subsequent battles at this place and in its vicinity, we 
must consider the attempts to reduce the southern colonies. 
We have already noticed, among the plans of the British 
for this year, their design to attack the southern settlements. 
In the fore part of June their fleet arrived at Charleston, 
South Carolina, bringing among their recruits Lord Corn- 
wallis, General Vaughan and Colonel Allen. Here they 
were joined by Clinton and his troops. They would, 
doubtless, have made an easy prey of this colony, had not 
the colonists previously received a letter which announced 
to them the departure and destination of this armament, had 
they not thus enjoyed an opportunity to prepare for defence. 
Their great object was to defend their capital. For this 
purpose they fortified Sullivan's Island, at the entrance of 
Charleston harbor. General Lee collected between five 
•uid six thousand men, whom he stationed in several dis- 
tinct divisions, under Colonels Gadsden, Moultrie, and 
Thomson. Clinton landed a part of his men near Sulli- 
van's Island, which was defended by four hundred men 
under Colonel Moultrie. On the morning of the 28th of 
June, the British ships commenced a severe cannonading 
of the fort, while a detachment was sent partly round the 
island and ordered to come up and attack the fort in the 
rear. The contest continued most of the day. The fort 
was, however, defended with such skill and bravery as to 
compel the enemy, after the loss of two hundred men, to 
abandon the enterprise. The Americans lost but twenty. 
Soon after this, the British troops all sailed to unite with 
those under Howe in the vicinity of New York. 

Where did Washington march ? When did he arrive ? 
When ilid llie Brilisli arrive at Charleston ? Whom did they jom ? 
What enabled the colonists to prepare for defence ? 
What island did they fortify ? Who was their commander ? 
How many men had he ? When did the contest begin ? 
How long did it continue ? What was its result? 
Mow many were killed on each side? 
When the British left Charleston, where did they go? 
17# 



198 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Declaraliiin of liidepenileiice. 



Hitherto the Americans had been struo-gling " not so 
much for independence^ as iox consiitiUional Uherty.''^ But 
public sentiment now underwent such an entire change, 
that they were ready to throw off the yoke, to assert and 
maintain their freedom. Accordingly Richard Henry Lee, 
of Virginia, presented a resolution to congress, on the 7th 
of June, asserting the freedom and independence of the 
states. After some discussion, it was thought that the 
minds of the people were prepared for such a measure ; 
and accordingly, on the 11th, it was decided to raise a 
committee to prepare a declaration. The following indi- 
viduals were appointed : — Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, 
Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Living- 
ston. This committee agreed that each should prepare such 
a document and submit it at a future meeting, when they 
would select the best, which, if necessary, they would 
modify, and then submit it to congress. When the com- 
mittee met, Jefferson's paper was first read, and so highly 
was it approved by the rest that each voluntarily sup- 
pressed his own in its favor. This was accordingly pre- 
sented to congress as the report of the committee; which, 
with slight alterations, was adopted, on the 4th of July, 
1776. 

THE UNANII\IOUS DECLARATION OF THE THIRTEEN 
UNITED STATES OF ARLERICA. 

When, in the course of human events, it becomes neces- 
sary for one people to dissolve the political bands which 
have connected them with another, and to assume, among 
the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to 
which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, 
a' decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that 
they should declare the causes which impel them to the 
separation. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident ; — that all men 

Who presented the resolution for Independence ? AVhen ? 

When was a commiUee raised to prepare the declaration ? 

W ho consiituled that committee ? What agreement did they form ? 

Whose draft of the declaration was received ? 

When was it adopted ? 

Why was it necessary ? , 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 199 

Declaration of Independence. 

are created equal ; that they are endowed by their Creator 
with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, 
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure 
these rights, governments are instituted among men, de- 
riving their just powers from the consent of the governed ; 
that whenever any form of government becomes destruc- 
tive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to 
abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its 
foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers 
in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect 
their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dic- 
tate, that governments long established should not be 
changed for light and transient causes ; and accordingly all 
experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed 
to suffer while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves 
by abolishing the forms to "\vhich they are accustomed. 
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing 
invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce 
them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their 
duty, to throw off such a government, and to provide new 
guards for their future security. Such has been the pa- 
tient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the 
necessity which constrains them to alter their former sys- 
tems of government. The history of the present king of 
Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usur- 
pations, all having in direct object the establishment of an 
absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let 
facts be submitted to a candid world. 

He has refused to assent to laws the most wholesome 
and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his 
governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing impor- 
tance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent 

What truths does it regard as self-evident ? 
What is the object of government ? 
Where does the power of government originate ? 
When have a people a right to reject an old and form a new gov- 
ernment ? 
For what reasons should not governments be hastily changed? 
What has experience taught on this subject ? 
For what reasons may they be changed ? 
Did these reasons exist in the colonies ? 
What is said of the history of the king of Great Britain ? 
How is this proved ? 



200 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Decliralion of Indepdndence. 



should be obtained ; and when so suspended, he has ut- 
terly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass 
otner laws for the accommodation of large districts of peo- 
ple, unless those people would relinquish the right of 
representation in the legislature — a right inestimable to 
them, and formidable to tyrants only. He has called to- 
gether legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, 
and distant from the repository of their public records, for 
the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with 
his measures. He has dissolved represen^ipitive houses 
repeatedly, for opposing, with manly firmness, his inva- 
sions on the rights of the people. He has refused, for a 
long time after such dissolutions, to cause others to be 
elected ; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of anni- 
hilation, have returned to the people at large, for their ex^ 
ercise ; the state remaining, in the mean time, exposed to 
all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions 
within. He has endeavored to prevent the population of 
these states ; for that purpose obstructing the laws for 
naturalization of foreigners ; refusing to pass others to en- 
courage their migration hither, and raising the conditions 
of new appropriations of lands. 

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by re- 
fusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers. 
He has made judges dependent on his will alone for the 
tenure of their offices and the amount and payment of 
their salaries. He has erected a multitude of new offices, 
and sent hither swarms of officers, to harass our people, 
and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in 
times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our 
legislatures. He has affected to render the military inde- 
pendent of, and superior to, the civil power. He has com- 
bined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to 
our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws ; giv- 
ing his assent to their acts of pretended legislation : for 
quartering large bodies of armed troops among us : for 
protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any 
murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of 
these states : for cutting off our trade with all parts of 
the world : for imposing taxes on us without our con- 
sent: for depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of 

What are the prornineat facts Vvjiich support this as^ertion ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 201 

i)ec!di;i; 11)11 of Independence. 

trial by jury : for transporting us beyond seas, to be tried 
for pretended offences : for abolishing the free system of 
English laws in a neighboring province, establishing there- 
in an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries, 
so as to render it at once an example and (it instrument 
for introducing the same absolute rule into these colonies : 
for taking away our charters, abolishing our most valua- 
ble laws, and altering, fundamentally, the forms of our 
governments : for suspending our own legislatures, and 
declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for 
us in all cases whatsoever. 

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out 
of his protection, and waging war against us. He has 
plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, 
and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time 
transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to com- 
plete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already 
begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely 
paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unwor- 
thy the head of a civilized nation. He has constrained 
our fellow citizens, taken captive on the high seas, to bear 
arms against their country, to become the executioners of 
their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their 
hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst 
us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our 
frontiers the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule 
of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, 
sexes, and conditions. In every stage of these oppressions, 
we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms ; 
our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated 
injury. A prince, w^hose character is thus marked by 
every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the 
ruler of a free people. 

Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British 
brethren. We have warned them, from time to time, of 
attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable 
jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the 
circumstances of our migration and settlement here. We 
have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, 
and we have conjured them by the ties of our common 

What attempts had the colonists made to remove these grounds of 
complaint? Were they successful ? 



202 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Declaration of Independence. 

kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevita- 
bly interrupt our connections and correspondence. They, 
too, have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consan- 
guinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity 
which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold 
the rest of manldnd — enemies in war; in peace, friends. 
WE, therefore, the representatives of the United States 
of America, in general congress assembled, appealing to 
the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our 
intentions, do, in the name and by the authority of the 
good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and de- 
clare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to 
be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES ; that they are absolved 
from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all po- 
litical connection between them and the state of Great 
Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved ; and that, as 
free and independent states, they have full power to levy 
war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish com- 
merce, and to do all other acts and things which inde- 
pendent states may of right do. And for the support of 
this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of 
Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our 
lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. 

Neio Hampshire. Neic York. 

JOSIAH BARTLETT, WILLIAM FLOYD, 

WILLIAM V.'HIPPLE. PHILIP LIVINGSTON, 

MATTHEVvT THORNTON. FRANCIS LEWIS, 

LEWIS MORRIS. 
Massachusetls Bay. 

JOHN HANCOCK, ^^'^ •^«''«^^- 

SAMUEL ADAMS, RICHARD STOCKTON, 

JOHxV ADAMS, JOHN WITHERSPOON, 

ROBERT TREAT PAINE, FRANCIS HOPKINSON, 

LLBRir.GE GEURY. JOHN HART, 

, , ABRAHAM CLARK. 
Rhode Island. 

STEPHEN HOPKINS, Pennsylvania. 

Wn.LIAM ELLERY. ROBERT MORRIS, 

^ ,. . BENJAMIN RUSH, 

(■onTircticut. BEiNJAMIN FRANKLIN, 

ROGER SHERMAN, JOHN MORTON, 

SAMUEL HUNTINGTON, GEORGE CLYMER, 

WILLIAM WILLIAMS, JAMES SMITH. 

OLIVER WOLCOTT. GEORGE TAYLOR.. 

What inference is drav/n from these facts ? 
Does the declaration recognise onr dependence on God ? 
How n'^an}" signers to this declaration ? "• 

From how many diflerent states were they ? 

Mention those stales, and tell how many rcpresenlatives were from 
each. Name lho?e from this slule. 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



203 



Declaration of Independence. 



JAMES WTLSON, 
GEORGE ROSS. 

Delaioarii. 

C^SAR RODNEY, 
GEORGE READ. 
THOMAS MKEAN. 

Marylanrl . 

SAMUEL CHASE, 
WILLIAM PACA, 
THOMAS STONE, 
CHARLES CARROLL. 

Virginia. 

GEORGE WYTHE, 
RICHARD HENRY LEE, 
THOMAS JEFFERSON. 
BENJAMIN HARRISON, 



THOMAS NELs^ON, Jr. 
FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT LEE, 
CARTER BRAXTON. 

North Carolina. 

WILLIAM HOOPER 
JOSEPH HEV/ES, 
JOHN PENN. 

South Carolina. 
EDWARD RUTLEDGE, 
THOMAS HEYWARD, Jr. 
THOxMAS LYNCH, Jr. 
ARTHUR MIDDLETON. 

Georgia. 

BUTTON GWINNETT, 
LYMAN HALL, 
GEORGE WALTON. 



This is a document of no ordinary interest, not only 
because it gave us an independent national existence, but 
because it published to the world new and important prin- 
ciples of political wisdom. It introduced us to all civil- 
ized nations as a free and independent people. Of course, 
it brought us into new relations and imposed on us pecu- 
liar responsibilities. It presented us in a new aspect to 
the eyes of the world. They could no longer look on us 
Tis revolted subjects, but as men conscious of their rights, 
as men who, in the presence of their foes, had been up to 
the altar of liberty to consecrate themselves to the sacred 
cause of freedom, as men determined to die or be free. 
The future conduct of our fathers showed that theirs was 
not a time-serving policy, not a mere resolution of the un- 
derstanding, but one in which their hearts and hands were 
engaged. 

We have already seen both American and British forces 
concentrated in the vicinity of New York. It now be- 
comes us to watch their operation and mark the progress 
of liberty. 

The British army, amounting to twenty-seven thou- 
sand, were stationed on Staten Island. Their fleet lay 
just within the narrows. Both waited to execute a plan, 
already matured by General Howe, for attacking New 
York. 

In what two respects was this declaration very important ? 
fin what new light did it present us to the world ? 
How large was the British army ? (4) Where stationed ? 



204 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Battle of Lons island. 



The American army on New York Island consisted of 
about the same number, one fourth of whom were sick, and 
the rest were stationed along for a distance of fifteen miles. 
The waters between them and the British were navigable. 
The defence of Long Island was so intifffately connected 
with that of New York, that a part of the forces were sta- 
tioned at Brooklyn, under General Green, In conse- 
quence of his sickness, the command subsequently de- 
volved on General Putnam. This was a strong position ; 
the camp was fortified, from the Wallabout bay on the 
north, to Gowan's cove on the south. The rear was de- 
fended by strong batteries on Red Hook, Governor's Is- 
land and York Island. In front of the camp was a range 
of hills, extending from the narrows nearly across the is- 
land, passable in three places only. These points were 
guarded by detachments of the best troops. 

The principal body of the American army occupied 
York Island. There were, however, small detachments 
on Paulus Hook and Governor's Island ; and a part of the 
militia were stationed on the sound, about East and West 
Chester, to prevent the British from landing above Kings- 
bridge, and to cut off the communication of the army with 
the country. 

On the 22d of August, the principal part of the British 

How large was the American army ? 

How many of them were sick ? 

Where were the greatest part of them stationed ? 

Where the remainder ? 

(6) Which way is Brooklyn from New York ? 

(6) Which way was the American from the British army ? 

Where were fortifications built ? 

From what place did they extend ? To what ? 

(6) Which way is the former from the latter? 

Who, at first, had command of the troops here ? 

Who succeeded him ? Why ? Where Avere the batteries ? 

(6) Which way is each of these places from New York ? 

From Brooklyn ? (6) In what direction do these hills run ? 

In how many places are they passable ? 

How were these places guarded ? 

Where was the main body of the army ? 

Where were other detachments stationed? 

Which way is each of these places from New York ? (See map No. _ 

VII. for East and West Chester; and for Kingsbridge, No. VIII.} 
What was the object of the third detachment ? 



I 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 205 

Baiiie oi LoiiH' IsIhihI. 

army, under the command of General Clinton, landed near 
the narrows, on Long Island, under cover of the guns from 
the fleet,' and extended through New Utrecht and Graves- 
end, to Flatland. 

General Putnam, having been reinforced on the 23d by 
six regiments, was charged by Washington " to guard the 
passes in the hills with the best troops," and to be con- 
stantly ready for action. 

The Hessians, under General De Heister, composed the 
centre of the British army, at Flatbush ; Major General 
Grant commanded the left wing, near the narrows ; and 
Earl Percy, Lord Cornwallis, under General Clinton, com- 
manded the right wing, at Flatland. 

The centre of the British army was about four miles 
from Brooklyn. The right and left wings were each about 
six miles from the American camp. Several roads led 
across the hills, all centring at Brooklyn except one, 
which led to Bedford. About nine o'clock at night, Au- 
gust 26th, General Clinton silently drew off the van of the 
British army, in order to seize a pass upon the heights, 
three miles east of Bedford, on the Jamaica road. Two 
hours before daybreak, he surprised a detachment of 
Americans, half a mile from the pass, took them, and 
passed on towards Bedford. 

Before Clinton secured the pass. Major General Grant 
moved stowly along the coast, skirmishing with the Ameri- 
cans who were sent to check his progress; but as Grant 

Where did the British land ? When ? How ? 
Where did they extend their Hnes ? 

(6) Which way is New Utrecht from New York ? From Staten 
Island ? (6) Which way from it to Gravesend ? To Flatland ? 
On the 23d what reinforcement did Putnam receive ? 
What orders from Washington ? 
What troops formed the centre of the British army ? 
Who commanded them ? (6) Where was it ? 
Who commanded the left wing ? Where was it ? 
(6) Which way from the centre ? 
Who commanded the right wing ? Where ? 
(6) In what direction did it extend ? 

How far from Brooklyn was the centre of the British army ? 
How far, the right and the left wings? 

During the night of the 26th what were Chnton's movements? 
(6) In what direction did he march ? 
(6) In what direction did Grant march? 

IS 



206 SCHOOL HISTOKY. 



Battle of Long Island. 



gained ground, General Putnam, about three in the morn- 
ing, sent Lord Sterling, with two regiments, to meet him. 
General Sullivan was ordered to the fort in the hills, on 
the road to Flatbush ; Colonels Williams and Miles had 
been stationed a few miles from Bedford during the pre- 
vious night. 

Lord Sterling reached the heights about break of day. 
The forces were drawn up in order on each side, and a 
cannonade commenced, which lasted till eleven o'clock on 
the 27th. 

Soon after daylight, General De Heister commenced a 
heavy cannonade upon the troops under General Sullivan ; 
but did not move from his ground till General Clinton had 
surrounded the American left. He now advanced to the 
attack of Sullivan, sending a detachment against Miles 
and Williams. But the Americans at these two points, 
learning at this moment that Clinton had gained their 
rear, at the first assault commenced their retreat, in order 
to gain the lines. They had retreated but a little distance 
before they met the whole right wing of the British, under 
Clinton, in front; and the centre, under Heister, followed 
close in their rear. Being thus attacked on both sides, a 
few fought their way through, and gained the lines ; but 
most of them were either captured or slain. 

Lord Sterling, who, during all this, had maintained his 
ground against Grant, was informed that the whole army 
had gained his rear, and he commenced a retreat, with a 
view to gain the lines. He met Cornwallis at the head 

Who was sent to meet him ? At what time ? 

With how large a force ? 

Who was sent to oppose the centre of the British force ? 

(6) In what direction from the American camp ? 

Who had been stationed further north on the road to Bedford ? 

How long before ? When did Sterhng reach the heights ? 

How long did the skirmish between his troops and those of the 

British continue ? 
When did Heister commence his attack ? 
What was the previous movement of Clinton ? 
For what purpose did Heister detach a part of his troops ? 
What was the fate of the troops under Miles and Williams? 
■WHiom did Sterling meet on his retreat? Where? 
(6) Which way from the American lines ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 207 

Battle of Long Island. 

of Gowan's cove, and, sending across the creek all his 
men save two regiments, he made an attack upon 
Cornwallis, and was on the point of forcing his way to 
the lines, when a reinforcement drove him from the 
ground, and he was obliged to surrender to General De 
Heister. General Sullivan was also taken prisoner. 

The number of American troops engaged in these ac- 
tions was five thousand, and. their loss between one and 
two thousand ; while the British engaged with a force of 
seventeen thousand, and lost but a small part of their num- 
ber ; in all, twenty-one officers and three hundred and forty- 
six privates, killed, wounded and taken. 

The British made no attempt to force the lines, but en- 
camped for the night within a few hundred yards of the 
Americans. During the night of the 2Sth, Washington 
succeeded in removing the army from its perilous situa- 
tion at Brooklyn to New York, without being perceived 
by the enemy. But for this, the army would doubtless 
have been entirely cut to pieces, and perhaps the hopes of 
the country forever ruined. The losses at Long Island 
were severely felt. The soldiers were disheartened. Un- 
usual sorrow reigned among all the friends of the Ameri- 
can cause. In all of these feelings General Washington 
deeply sympathized. From this battle we may date the 
commencement of the darkest period in the history of the 
American revolution. 

The British having obtained full possession of Long 
Island, General Washington was obHged to leave New 
York and fix his head quarters on Harlem heights, dis- 
posing his army at several points on East river, while 

What did he do with most of his men ? 

How many did he retain ? How did he employ them ? 

What reinibrcement did he meet ? "What was his fate ? 

What became of Sullivan ? 

How many Americans were engaged in these actions ? 

How many British ? How many lost on each side ? 

Where did the British remain during the night ? 

What became of the Americans on The night of the 28th ? 

What had probably been their fate if they had not removed? 

How did this battle affect the American cause ? 

Where did Washington go on leaving New York ? 



208 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

haltie of Long Island. 

General Howe took possession of New York. A part 
of the forces under Clinton extended along from Brook- 
lyn to Hellgate, opposite New York Island. On the 
15th of September these embarked at Newtown bay, and 
sailing into East river, landed at Kip's bay, three miles 
above New York. The Americans stationed to oppose 
their landing were repulsed, and the whole British army 
was extended across the island from Horem's Hook to 
Bioomingdale ; while the Americans occupied places, 
strongly fortified, lying a little north. General Howe, 
not deeming it safe to attack V/ashington in his lines, 
determined to compel him to abandon York Island. Ac- 
cordingly, on the 12th of October, he embarked his 
array on board flat-bottomed boats, and sailing through 
Hellgate, landed at Frog's Point. This induced Wash- 
ington to abandon York Island, and both armies now pro- 
ceeded toward White Plains. 

Before leaving York Island, some skirmishing took 
place near Snake Hill, which resulted greatly to the ad- 
vantage of the Americans, though they lost two valuable 
officers, Knowlton and Leech. They also gained some 
advantage in a skirmish near New Rochelle, and at 
Mamaronec. 



Who took possession of New York when Washington left it ? 
r&) Which way from New York is Harlem ? Newtown ? 
(6) Newtown inlet from Kip's bay ? 
How far is the latter north of New York ? 
When did the British force land there ? 
What became of the Americans ? 

From what two points did Clinton extend his troops across the 
island ? 

(6) Which of these lies nearest to Hudson river? 
Where were the Americans stationed ? 

Why did not Howe attack Washington here ? 

What plan did he form ? When did he embark his army ? 

Where did he sail ? Land ? 

Q, 7) Where are these ? 

Toward what place did both armies now proceed ? 

What took place before they left New York Island ? 

(7) Where is Snake Hill? 

In what other places were there skirmishes ? 
(7) Which way are these from Snake Hill ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 209. 

Articles of confed eration. Jb'rench aid 

While the army were marching to White Plains, Con- 
gress was deliberating on a form of government, adapted to 
the condition of the country and suited to secure its perma- 
nent union and success. They adopted what is called 
"the articles of confederation," which gave to the nation 
the title of the United States of America. They provided 
for an annual meeting of congress on the first Monday of 
November in each year ; required that it should be com- 
posed of delegates from each of the states ; and defined, 
as far as was possible, the powers of congress and of 
the separate state governments. These articles, which 
were the bond of our union during the revolution, and 
which subsequently formed the basis of our federal consti- 
tution, were subscribed on the 4lh of October, by the band 
of patriots who composed that most august assembly, and 
were then sent to the states for their adoption. 

Congress provided, according to their ability, for the 
exigencies of the army and the state of the nation. They 
sent a delegation, consisting of Franklin, Deane and Lee, 
to France, to secure its co-operation in the war, and to 
induce it to acknowledge the independence of the country. 
They enlarged the powers which had been conferred on 
Washington, granting him liberty to increase his army, 
and also provided means, as am.ple as their circumstances 
would permit, for the support of the troops. 

Just before the battle at White Plains, the Americans 
sustained a considerable loss on lake Champlain. On the 
11th of October, their force under General Arnold was 
entirely destroyed by that under Carleton. Rhode Island 
also soon fell into the hands of the British. They expe- 
rienced misfortune after misfortune. 

Washington had at this time encamped on high, broken- 
ground, a little north of the village of White Plains ; his 

What did congress adopt at this time ? 

What did these articles provide for ? What did they require 1 
What did they define ? When were they signed ? 
What other provision did congress make ? 
Whom did they send to France ? For Avhat ? 
What did they grant to Washington ? 
What loss did the Americans sustain ? Where ! 
When ? What other soon after ? 
18* 



210 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

_____^ Battle at Whiir- Plai ns. " 

right resting on the river Brunx, and his left extending 
back on to the heights. He ordered General McDougal, 
with sixteen hundi-ed militia, to take possession of Chatter- 
ton hill, one mile to the rignt, in order to cover his rig^ht 
flank. 

General Howe, having determined to attack Washing- 
ton ia his camp, advanced on the morning of the 28th of 
October towards the lines, in two columns. Sir Henry 
Chnton commanded the right, General Knyphausen the 
left wing. At ten o'clock his van appeared in full view, 
and a cannonade commenced on both sides, with but 
little effect. The right wing was posted on a rising 
ground, one mile from the American camp, opposed to the 
American centre. General Howe, viewing the position of 
Washington, determined to carry the hill on the right, pre- 
paratory to an attack upon the centre. To effect this, he 
ordered Colonel Rahl to cross the Brunx, and make a cir- 
cuit, so as to turn the American right. When Rahl had 
gained this position, he ordered another detachment, under 
General Leslie, to cross the Brunx and commence the at- 
tack in front of the force on Chatterton hill. The Ameri- 
can militia soon fled, but the regulars stood their ground, 
and fought with great bravery ; but they were soon over- 
powered by superior numbers and compelled to retreat. 
General Putnam was sent to reinforce them, but not arriv- 
ing till the hill was lost, the Americans all retreated to 
their camp. The loss on each side was nearly equal, 
being between three and four hundred. 

It was so late before the hill was carried, that General 

What was the position of Washington's forces ? 

VVTiere did he station McDougal ? Why ? (7) Where is it ? 

rV) Which way from his own camp ? 

With how many men ? When did Howe advance ? How ? 

Who commanded his right wing ? Who his left ? 

At what time did a cannonade begin ? With what effect ? 

On what did Howe determine ? Why ? 

What did he do to accomplish his object ? 

Did he succeed ? 

Where did he send another detachment ? Under whom? 

For what ? Give an account of the action. 

Which party were successful ? 

What American general was sent to aid them ? 

About what number were lost on each side ? 



Scule </i 'MUtr.s 



XOllTlf I'ART OF 

tlie Jiiltisk 
1776 




AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 211 

Battle at Fori Washington. 

Howe postponed the attack upon the centre of the main 
body of the Americans till the next day. But during the 
night, Washington removed his army further back, to 
stronger ground, wiiich prevented Howe from executing 
his plan ; and on the 1st of November the American army 
retreated to the heights of North Castle, five miles from 
White Plains ; and took a position so strong, that General 
Howe determined to return to York Island, and attack 
Forts Washington and Lee, and thence descend upon New 
Jersey. Accordingly he commenced a retreat ; directing 
General Knyphausen to take possession of Kingsbridge, 
he passed to the Hudson river near Dob's ferry, and 
marched his forces towards New Jersey. 

General A^'^ashington directed General Green to evacu- 
ate Fort Washington in case he could not sustain the at- 
tack of the enemy. Colonel Magaw, left in command of 
the fort by Green, with twenty-seven hundred men, de- 
termined to defend it to the last. 

On the lt5th of November, General Howe, having pre- 
pared his army for an attack, summoned the garrison to 
surrender. Colonel Magaw promptly refused the order, 
and the next morning stationed his forces in three divisions : 
the first on a hill north of the fort, under Colonel Kawlings ; 
the second, on the south of the fort, under Colonel Cad- 
wallader ; and the third, between the lines and the rocky 
heights, fronting Harlem river. 

Why did Howe postpone his attack on Vv^ashington's centre ? 

What did Washington do in the night ? Why ? 

Where did Washington next retire ? Why ? 

What plan did Howe form in consequence ? 

(7) Which M^ay are Forts Washington and Lee from White Plains? 

(7) On which side of Hudson river is each ? 
Who took possession of Kingsbridge ? 

(8) Which way is that from Fort Washington ? 
Where did Howe march ? 

(7) Which way is Dob's ferry from Kingsbridge ? 
Who commanded Fort Washington ? 

What was Washington's direction to him ? 
What did Colonel Magaw determine to do ? 
When did Howe summon the garrison to surrender ? 
What reply did he receive ? 

(8) How were the American troops arranged for aclion? 
(8) In what direction was each detachment from the fort ? 



212 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Forts Washington and Lee. 

The British appeared before the lines about one o'clock, 
November 16th, and proceeded to the attack in four divis- 
ions. The first division, commanded by General Kny- 
phausen, commenced the attack on the north. The sec- 
ond division, Ipd by General Mathews, supported by Corn- 
wallis, crossed the Harlem river in boats, under the fire 
from the batteries placed on the hill. The third division, 
commanded by Colonel Stirling, passed the river further 
south ; and the fourth division, commanded by Lord Percy, 
accompanied by General Howe, passed up from Morrison's 
heights, to attack those on the south side of the fort. The 
attack on the north and south was commenced at the same 
time. 

While they were warmly engaged at these two points, 
the second and third divisions passed the river, dis- 
persed the Americans in the centre near the river, and 
rushed on to storm the works on all sides. 

The contest was kept up for some time greatly to the 
disadvantage of the British, who lost nearly twelve hun- 
dred men ; but they finally succeeded in taking possession 
of all the strong ground and outworks, and drove the 
Americans within the fort. Colonel Magaw was now 
forced to capitulate, and the whole body, consisting of two 
thousand men, with the fort, fell into the hands of the 
British ; a greater number than had been taken prisoners 
by them at any former period. 

When the British had secured quiet possession of Fort 
Washington, the next object of their attention was Fort 
Lee, which lay on the opposite side of the river. Having 
formed their plan for capturing it, they crossed the river ; 
but the Americans, under General Green, aware of their 

When did the British appear ? In how many divisions ? 

Under whom did the first division proceed to the attack ? 

(8. A.) Where? 

Under whom the second division ? (8. B.) Where ? 

Under whom the third division ? (8. C.) Where ? 

Under whom the fourth division ? (8. D.) Where ? 

What simultaneous action of the four divisions ? 

What was the result of the action ? What number were lost? 

What other fort did the British attempt to take ? 

Did they succeed ? Why ? 

(8) Which way is it from Fort Washingtpu ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 213 

Ketreat through New Jersey. Howe's troops. 

intention, evacuated the fort on the 18th, and hastened on 
to join the main body of the army at Newark. 

The American army was now reduced by the departure 
of many whose term of service had expired. But Wash- 
ington, having collected the main body of his troops at 
Newark, continued to avoid an engagement by retreating 
before his powerful foe. As the rear-guard of his army 
left the town, the van of Howe's army entered it upon the 
opposite side. By forced marches, Washington fled first to 
Brunswick, then to Princeton, afterwards to Trenton, and 
finally crossed the Delaware into Pennsylvania. Dur- 
ing the whole of this rapid march, the British general 
might easily have overtaken him, for his troops were ani- 
mated by their recent victories and with the hope of soon 
terminating the war by the entire subjection of the Ameri- 
cans. Still, a kind Providence had wisely ordered that 
the delay of the British should afford the Americans 
an opportunity to escape. Here, as in numberless other 
instances in the course of the revolutionary struggles, we 
may see the care of a superintending hand. There was 
nothing to render such a delay necessary ; indeed it was 
altogether improbable, considering the activity and zeal of 
the British officers ; and yet it v/as essential for the salva- 
tion of our army, and also for the preservation of our 
liberty. 

Howe did not think best to attempt to cross the river in 
boats, as there was a prospect that it would soon be frozen 
so that he could cross on the ice; and he seems to have 
cherished no idea that the Americans would think of 
recrossing it to attack an enemy, before whom they had 
just fled so precipitately. Accordingly he stationed his 
German troops along the bank of the river, near Tren- 
ton, a large force at Princeton, and the rest of his army at 
Brunswick. 

How was the army reduced ? Where did it assemble ? 

As they left who entered ? 

(9) Which way from Forts Washington and Lee is Newark? 

(9) From Newark is Brunswick ? 

(9) From Brunswick are Princeton and Trenton ? 

What preserved them ? Why did not Howe cross the river ? 

Where did Howe station his troops ? 

Which of these places is furthest south ? North ? 



214 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Stale of the American army. 



The situation of the American army was deeply dis- 
tressing. Many of the soldiers were destitute of suitable 
food and clothing ; and as they marched barefoot over the 
rough and frozen ground, they often marked their footsteps 
with their blood. From personal suffering, the severity 
of the weather and sickness, some died, and others de- 
serted. Washington, by his commanding address and 
his winning manners, induced many to remain even after 
their term of service had expired. By the same noble 
qualities, he secured the enrollment of some fresh troops, 
and thus preserved his number, notwithstanding the at- 
tempts of General Howe, by promises of reward and pre- 
ferment, to multiply the number of deserters. Washing- 
ton endeavored also to increase his force by ordering those 
to his camp, who, after the battle at White Plains, had 
gone to defend the northern frontier. The troops under 
Lee, Gates and Mercer were all ordered to join his 
army. About fifteen hundred militia were also raised 
for his assistance, in Pennsylvania. General Lee having 
been captured by a detachment of British troops on ac- 
count of his delay in New Jersey, and carried to New 
York, General Sullivan succeeded him. The whole num- 
ber of the army at this time did not amount to more than 
seven thousand active troops. 

That Washington should have been able to keep to- 
gether his handful of men, in such circumstances, is truly 
surprising, and can be attributed to nothing but his in- 
spiring them with a deep conviction of the magnitude of 
the object at which they aimed, and the faithfulness of 
that Providence, which had conducted them thus far in 
their struggle for liberty. Never had men clearer evidence 
that the battle is not to the strong, nor victory of conduct or 
numbers. 

As the term of enlistment of many of his men was near 
its close, Washington deemed it of immense importance to 

Of what were many of the Americans destitute ? 

Why did some die and others desert ? What did Washington do ? 

What did Howe do ? How was Washington's army increased ? 

How large was it ? What became of General Lee i 

Who succeeded him ? 

To what can you attribute the preservafion of the American army ? 

How was it soon further reduced ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 215 

JBaitle of Treiilna. Decamber 26ih. 

Strike some decisive blow ; to raise, if possible, the expir- 
ing hopes of his countrymen. This, through the smiles 
of a kind Providence, he was enabled very satisfactorily 
to do. 

He determined to attack all the British posts on the 
Delaware at the same instant. These were, Trenton, 
Bordentown, Croswicks and Mount Holly, south of Bor- 
dentown. He posted the regulars from Yardley's to Cor- 
yel's ferry. The Pennsylvania flying camp and New 
Jersey militia, under General Irving, extended from Yard- 
ley's ferry to the ferry opposite Bordentown. General 
Cadwallader, with the Pennsylvania militia, was sta- 
tioned still lower down, nearly opposite Burlington. 

On the 25th of December, General Washington at- 
tempted to cross the Delaware, at McKonkey's ferry, with 
twenty-four hundred continental troops ; but in consequence 
of the snow, hail and ice, he did not accomplish his ob- 
ject till three o'clock the next morning. His troops, 
divided into two divisions, took different roads to Tren- 
ton, which was about nine miles. General Irving was 
directed to pass over Trenton ferry, and cut off the re- 
treat of the enemy across the bridge (A) to Bordentown 
or Croswicks ; and General Cadwallader was directed 
to pass over Dunk's ferry, and attack the post at Mount 
Holly. 

Washington, having passed the river and divided his 
forces, started for Trenton about five o'clock in the morn- 

What did he determine to do ? 

Where were the British principally stationed? 

(9) Which of these places is furthest north ? South ? East ? 

(9) Which way from Croswicks is Bordentown ? 

Where did he station his regular troops ? 

Which of these ferries is nearer Trenton ? 

Who formed the other part of the American lines ? 

Under whose command ? Where was Cadwallader stationed? 

Where did Washington attempt to cross the river ? 

With how many men ? What delayed him? 

When did he reach the opposite bank ? 

How far was he then from Trenton ? 

In what order did he march ? 

What directions did he give General Irving? 

General Cadwallader ? 

At what time did he march for Trenton ? 



216 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Battle of Trenton. 



ing, and drove in the British outposts about eight. Both 
detachments arriving at the same time, drove in the picket 
guard, and made an assault upon those in the town, 
Washington on the north side of it, and Sullivan on the 
south. So rapid were the movements of the Americans, 
that Colonel Rahl, who commanded in the town, had 
scarcely time to rally his men, before they were sur- 
rounded on all sides ; his troops attempted to retreat, 
but in vain; and after a few minutes' sharp fighting, 
being completely surrounded, their artillery silenced, and 
no hope of escape left, they surrendered themselves 
prisoners of war. About twenty of the enemy were 
killed, and one thousand taken prisoners. Six field- 
pieces and one thousand stand of small arms also fell 
into the hands of the Americans ; while Washington lost 
but two privates killed, and two frozen to death ; and 
one officer, the late President Monroe, and three privates 
were wounded. 

The ice prevented General Irving from executing his 
part of the plan, and five hundred of the enemy's horse 
escaped down the river road to Bordentown. The same 
cause prevented General CadwalJader from attacking the 
post at Mount Holly. Although these parts of the plrji 
failed, Washington was contented wnth the advantages 
he had gained, recrossed the Delaware with his prison- 
ers and spoils, and stationed his troops nearly in the 
same position as they were before the action. This 
action induced the British troops at Bordentown, Mount 
Holly and Croswicks, to leave the shores of the Dela- 
ware and retire to Princeton. With this battle termi- 

What did he do at eight o'clock ? 
How did he commence the assault ? 
What attempt did Rahl make ? With what success ? 
How many of the British were killed? 
How many taken prisoners ? 

How many cannon and small arms did the Americans take ? 
How many of them were killed ? How many were wounded ? 
What prevented Irving from executing his orders? 
Where did five hundred British cavalry flee ? / 

Did Cadwallader succeed ? Why ? 
Where did Washington go after the acticwi ? 

What was the effect of this battle on the British troops near the 
Delaware ? 



of tlio Hatdesof 



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AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 217 

Battle of Princeton. 

nated the year, though the campaign of 1776 is gener- 
ally extended so as to embrace the battle of Princeton. 
But as we have adopted, and thus far followed as closely 
as possible, the order of time, an account of that battle will 
be embraced in the campaign of the next year. 



SECTION III. 

1777. 

Washington, having again crossed the Delaware, stationed 
himself at Trenton. Generals Mifflin and Cadwallader, 
v^howere at Bordentown and Croswicks, joined him. His 
whole army then consisted of five thousand men. The 
whole British force was at Princeton, under Lord Corn- 
wallis. About four o'clock, P. M., January 2d, the van 
of the British army approached Trenton. Washington, 
with his troops, crossed the creek Assumpink over the 
bridge, and while he arranged his troops on the opposite 
shore, Cornwallis entered the town. The British attempt- 
ed to cross the creek, but the fords were all guarded. 
Fires were kindled on both sides, and a cannonade kept up 
till dark. Had an immediate and energetic attempt been 
made, the Americans might have fallen an easy prey, for 
their situation was extremely critical. Had Washington 
remained till morning, his army would doubtless have been 
cut to pieces. He resolved to decamp silently, and, by a 
forced march, attack the British detachment at Princeton, 
and if successful, press on and secure their baggage and 
magazines protected by a weak guard at Brunswick. 
Accordingly, about one o'clock in the morning of January 

Where did Washington station his troops after he crossed over the 
Delaware into New Jersey ? Who joined him ? 

How large was his army ? Where was Cornwallis ? 

When did the British approach ? What did Washington do ? 

What is the name of the creek over which he crossed ? 

(10) Which way does it run ? (10) Into what does it empty ? 

Why did not the British cross ? What kept up till dark ? 

What would probably have been the fate of the Americans, if they 
had remained till morning? 

What plan did Washington form ? 
19 



218 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Ballle of Princeion. 



3d, after renewing their fires, and leaving the sentries to 
go their rounds as usual, the whole army decamped with 
perfect silence, and took a circuitous route by the Quaker 
road to Princeton. 

At sunrise, two British regiments, the seventeenth 
and fifty-fifth, having proceeded two miles from Prince- 
ton on their way to join Cornwallis, saw the Ameri- 
can van, under General Mercer, approaching in a direc- 
tion which would lead to the road in their rear. They 
wheeled about, recrossed Stony brook, and commenced an 
attack. The action was sharp, but not long continued. 
The militia under Mercer gave way, and his regulars 
were unable to maintain the contest. The general, ex- 
erting himself to rally his troops, was mortally wounded) 
and the van was entirely routed. The exultation of the 
British, however, was short. The main body, led by 
Washington, following close in the rear, renewed the at- 
tack so spiritedly, that the British in turn were obliged to 
give ground. Their lines were broken and the regiments 
separated. Washington pressed on to Princeton. The 
fortieth regiment had taken shelter in the college ; but a 
few pieces of cannon being brought to bear upon the build- 
ings, they surrendered themselves prisoners of war. In 
this engagement more than one hundred of the enemy 
were killed, and three hundred taken prisoners. The 
loss of the Americans was considerably less. 

The British army at Trenton, in the mean time, were 
snugly quartered in their camp. They heard the report 

At what time did he decamp ? Whom did he le^ve behind ? 

Why ? What road did they take ? 

(10) In what direction does it run ? 

(10) Which way from Princeton were the Americans when the two 
British regiments saw them ? 

How far from the town had these regiments advanced ? 

What did they do ? What was the result of the first engagement ? 

What happened to Mercer ? 

What was the result of the second ? 

What did Washington then do ? . 

Where did the fortieth regiment take shelter ? 

(10) Which way is that from where the first and second engage- 
ments took place ? 

How many of the British were killed ? Taken prisoners ? 

How did the American loss compare with that of the British ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTiO:<^. 219 



Battle of Princeton. Morrisunvn 



of the guns at Princeton, but thought it thundered. Some 
time after daylight, when they had matured their plan for 
an attack, they discovered that Washington had decamped. 
Cornwallis at once apprehended his design, and pressed on 
to overtake the Americans before they left Princeton. 
Washington's situation was again very critical ; his troops 
were exhausted, without shoes or clothing, and eighteen 
miles from Brunswick. He determined to quarter his 
troops at Morristown and give them some repose. Corn- 
wallis arrived at Brunswick during the night, and secured 
the stores which he had deposited there. 

This battle, as well as that before mentioned, had a very 
important influence on the success of the war. They 
awaked the hopes, and aroused the energies of the Ameri- 
can people. They showed them that superior discipline 
and numbers do not always insure success ; but that the 
weak have grounds for hope in a just cause, aided by a 
righteous Providence. 

Washington, following up with promptitude and vigor 
his advantages, soon possessed himself of Newark, Wood- 
bridge, Elizabetlitown, and several other important posts of 
the enemy, and confined the British to Brunswick and Amboy. 

The winter quarters of Washington were at Morristown, 
where the sufferings of the army u'ere very severe. The 
commander, however, visited the sick, cheered the despond- 
ing with the hopes of brighter prospects, and did all that 
could be done to relieve their distress. 

When the British at Trenton heard the report of the cannon, what 
did they think? 

What plan did they form before they discovered that the Ameri- 
cans were gone ? 

When they discovered this, what did Cornvv^alhs think ? 

What did he do? What did Washington determine to do? 

Why did Cornwallis hasten to Brunswick ? 

What was the effect of these engagements on the Americans ? 

What effect had these two battles on the success of the war ? 

Of v/hat other important places did V/ashington soon after take 
possession ? (9) Which v/ay are these towns from Trenton ? 

(9) From New York ? To what were the British confined ? 

(9) Where are these towns ? Where were Washington's winter 
quarters ? (9) Which way from Trenton ? 

What was the condition of the army there ? 

How did he try to comfort them ? 

Is it not the dutr/ of all to relieve the suffering ? 



220 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

British depredations in New Jersey. Peekskill. Da nbiiry. Colonel Meigs. 

The depredations committed by the British upon the 
defenceless inhabitants, especially in New Jersey, during 
the winter, produced strong excitement, not only among 
the Americans, but also in Europe. It was there said, 
" that England had revived in America the fury of the 
Goths, and the barbarity of the northern hordes." 

During the latter part of the following March, the enemy 
prepared to take the American stores at Courtland Manor, 
in New York, and at Danbury, in Connecticut. Peeks- 
kill, the port of the former place, the British attacked on 
the 23d. The Americans retired at their approach, after 
destroying the stores, to prevent them from falling into the 
hands of the British. 

On the 25th of April, some tories made an incursion 
into Connecticut, landed between Fairfield and Norwalk, 
and, on the 26th, destroyed the stores at Danbury and 
burnt the town. They met with a spirited resistance at 
Ridgefield, which, however, they repelled ; and, after pass- 
ing the night, they plundered and burnt the town, and 
then hastened to their ships and retired. They lost by 
these engagements about one hundred and seventy ; while 
tlie loss of the Americans did not exceed one hundred. 

Colonel Meigs, about this time, planned and executed an 
enterprise upon Long Island, which in some degree com- 
pensated for these losses. The British had collected, at 
Sag Harbor, a large quantity of provisions. These, Meigs 
entirely destroyed, burned a dozen brigs and sloops, and 
brought back to the American camp ninety prisoners, with- 
out losing one of his men. 

About this time, congress, impressed by the services 
rendered by Washington, with a full conviction of his 
ability, and perceiving the immense importance of energy 
and vigor in all measures which related to the good of the 

How did the British conduct toward the inhabitants of New Jersey 

during the winter ? 
What was said of their conduct in Europe ? 
When did the British attack Peekskill ? With what effect ? 
Who made an incursion into Connecticut in April ? 
When did they land ? Where ? 
(3) In what part of Connecticut do these towns lie ? 
f3) Which way is Danbury from Norwalk? 

(3) Fairfield from Ridgefield ? How many were lost on each side ? 
Give an account of Meigs' expedition. 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. ^Ul 

Reflection. La Fayette. Battle at Middlebrook. England's design by Burgoyne. 



country, invested him again with extraordinary power ; 
that plans, which required the utmost celerity and de- 
spatch, might not be rendered abortive by that delay which 
is incident to all measures concerted by deliberative assem- 
blies. Nor did he disappoint the confidence thus reposed 
in him. Never did any man discover greater self-denial, 
nor greater devotion to the cause for which he labored. 

It was fortunate for the country that such an arm as that 
of Washington should be raised for its defence, for greater 
difficulties could hardly have been encountered by any 
people. Their treasury was exhausted ; they had a dis- 
pirited, destitute army, a depreciated currency, a vigilant, 
active, powerful foe, all tending to embarrass and paralyze 
their efforts. But if their trials were great, their wisdom, 
firmness and heroism Vv'ere yet greater. They had in- 
trenched themselves in conscious rectitude, and in un- 
shaken confidence in the Almighty Ruler of the UniversCi 

It was at this juncture, when America was unable to 
provide a vessel for his conveyance, that La Fayette, a 
young French nobleman, devoted his fortune and himself 
to her service. His arrival in May, and the interest 
evinced by France at this time in the success of America, 
exerted the happiest influence in advancing the cause of 
freedom, not merely by the timely aid thus afforded, but 
by raising the hopes, and allaying the fears of an oppressed 
and dejected people. 

In June of this year, seven hundred Americans were 
attacked by Cornwallis and defeated, near Middlebrook ; 
and during the following month, General Prescott, who 
commanded on Rhode Island, was captured by a small 
party of the English. 

In consequence of the representations of Burgoyne, the 
British nation had matured the plan of achieving the con- 
quest of America, by forming a junction of the British 
forces through lake Champlain and the Hudson river. 
To effect this object, the northern army was increased by 

Why did congress invest Washington with extraordinary powers ? 
What tended at this time greatly to advance the cause of Ameri- 
can freedom ? When did La Fayette arrive ? 
What defeat did the Americans suffer ' 
What plan formed by the British ? 
19- 



222 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Battle of Benriiiigion. 

reinforcements from England to seven thousand one hun- 
dred and seventy-three, besides thousands of Canadians 
and Indians. Burgoyne, who had been appointed to the 
command of all the British troops in Canada, now issued 
a proclamation, consisting of arguments, promises and 
threats; thinking to intimidate, by an array of words, mex] 
who never had quailed even at the mouth of the cannon. 
Not even the evacuation of Ticonderoga, which followed 
soon after, nor the loss of one thousand men at Hub- 
bardton, nor subsequent disasters, could damp the spirits 
of men, who, in the rectitude of their hearts, could con- 
fide in that power that is " able to break the arm of tyranny, 
and let the oppressed go free." Burgoyne's proclama- 
tion failed of its object. On the 30th of July, he arrived 
at the Hudson ; and as he proceeded toward Albany, he 
found it more and more difficult to supply his troops with 
provisions, being obliged to bring all his stores from 
Fort George, thirty miles from the Hudson. He was also 
expecting a large number of horses from Canada, which 
did not arrive. He resolved therefore to send a detach- 
ment of troops into Vermont, or, as it was then called, 
Hampshire Grants, and secure provisions and horses for 
his army. Colonel Baum, a German officer, was to exe- 
cute the plan with eight hundred Germans and Indians, 
and was instructed to proceed to Rockingham, on the 
Connecticut river, to pass down to Brattleboro', and thence 
to Albany. " The horses which you take ought to be 
thirteen hundred," say his instructions, " led together in 
strings of ten each, so that one man may lead ten horses." 
On the 13th of August, Baum proceeded to execute the 
orders of General Burgoyne. His first object was to secure 
some military stores at Bennington. General Stark, of 

Whom did they intrust with the command ? 

What was the object of his proclamation ? 

Was it accomplished ? When did he reach the Hudson ? 

What difficulty increased ? What did he expect from Canada? 

Why did he send troops into Vermont ? 

Who commanded them ? How many ? Where was he to go ? 

f ) Which way from Albany is Rockingham ? 
) From the latter to Brattleboro' ? 
hat instructions about his horses ? 
Co) In what part of Vermont is Bennington ? 
Wbea did he proceed ? What was his first object ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 223 

balUe ol bemmigiou. 

New Hampshire, was on his way to the American army 
at Stillwater, and had arrived in Bennington just at this 
time with a body of militia. On hearing that a party of 
Indians were at Cambridge, he sent Lieutenant Colonel 
Gregg, with a party of two hundred, to check their pro- 
gress. 

" On being informed that a large body of regulars were 
in the rear of the Indians advancing towards Bennington, 
Stark drew together his brigade and the militia that were 
at hand, and sent to Colonel Warner, who was at Man- 
chester, to bring on his regiment. He sent word also to 
the neighboring militia to join him with the greatest pos- 
sible speed. On the morning of the 14th of August, he 
marched with his troops, and at the distance of seven 
miles he met Gregg on the retreat, and the enemy with- 
in a mile of him. Stark drew up his troops in order 
of battle ; but the enemy, coming in sight, halted upon a 
very advantageous piece of ground. Baum now saw- 
that the Americans were too strong to be attacked with 
his present force. He sent, therefore, Burgoyne an account 
of his situation, and requested him to send Breyman, who 
had been selected for the purpose, immediately to his re- 
lief, vv^ith the troops under his command. As the ground 
he had taken was unfavorable for a general action. Gen- 
eral Stark retreated about a mile and encamped. The 
15th was rainy, and nothing was effected. Frequent skir- 
mishing during the day and night so alarmed the Indians, 
that they began to desert, declaring ' that the woods were 
too full of Yankees.' August 16th, Stark was joined by 
Colonel Symonds and a body of militia from Berkshire. 

Who arrived in Bennington at this time ? (3) Where is it ? 

From what place ? Where was he going ? 

(3) Where is Stillwater ? (3) Where is Cambridge ? 

Who was sent there ? For what ? When ? 

What did Stark send to Warner ? Where was he ? 

(3) Which way is Manchester from Bennington ? 

How far from Bennington did Stark meet Gregg? 

How far oft were the enemy ? 

When was this ? What did Stark do ? 

What did Baum do when he saw the Americans ? 

Why did he send to Burgoyne ? 

Why did Stark retreat ? How far ? 

What was done on the 15th ? Who joined Stark ? 



224 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Battle of Beoiiiiigion. 

It was agreed to send two detachments upon the enemy's 
rear, while the rest of the troops should make an attack 
upon their front. ' Colonel Baum had intrenched on an 
advantageous piece of ground near St. Roiak's mills, on a 
branch of Hoosic river, and rendered his post as strong as 
his circumstances and situation would admit. On the 
morning of the 16th, Stark drew out his men, and made a 
short, spirited speech. ' Now, my boys,' said he, ' for the 
honor of America. Yonder lie the enemy ; ere night 
they are ours, or Molly Stark sleeps a widow.' Colonel 
Nichols was detached with two hundred men to the rear 
of his left ; Colonel Herrick, with three hundred men, to 
the rear of his right; both were to join and then make 
the attack. Colonels Hubbard and Stickney, with two 
hundred men, were ordered on the right, and one hundred 
were advanced toward the front, to draw the attention of 
the enemy that way. 

About three o'clock in the afternoon, the troops had 
taken their posts and were ready to commence the ac- 
tion. While Nichols and Herrick were bringing their 
troops together, the Indians were alarmed at the prospect, 
and pushed off between the two corps ; but received a fire 
as they were passing, by which three of them were killed 
and two wounded. Nichols then began the attack, and 
was followed by all the other divisions; those in the front 
immediately advanced, and in a few minutes the action be- 
came general. It lasted about two hours, and was like one 
continued peal of thunder. Baum made a brave defence ; 
and the German dragoons, after they had expended their 
ammunition, led by their colonel, charged with their 
swords; but they were soon overpowered. Their works 
were carried on all sides, their two pieces of cannon were 
taken, Colonel Baum himself was mortally wounded and ta- 

What plan did they form ? 

(11) Which way from St. Roiak's mills was Baum's camp? 

What speech did Stark make to his soldiers on the morning of the 

16th? (11) In what direction was Nichols from Baum ? 
(11) In what was Herrick ? How many men under each ? 
(11) Which way Hubbard and Stickney ? With how many men ? 
Where was another detachment stationed ? 

At what time did the attack begin ? Yvlaat alarmed the Indians? 
What became of them ? Who began the action ? 
How long did it continue ? VDiat was the fate of Baum ? 



tb-e Battle of 



JBlEKS'JiT'O-T'Oir ' ^ 



Au!i".16.1777. 









AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 225 

Battle of BeiiiiiiiirtDn. Reflections. 

ken prisoner, and all his men, except a few who had escaped 
into the woods, were either killed or taken. Having com- 
pleted the business by taking the whole party, the militia be- 
gan to disperse and look out for plunder. But in a few mo- 
ments Stark received information that a large reinforcement 
of the British were on their march, within two miles of him. 
Fortunately, at that moment Colonel Warner came up with 
his regiment from Manchester. This brave and experi- 
enced officer commanded a regiment of continental troops, 
which had been raised in Vermont. Mortified that he had 
not been in the former engagement, he instantly led on his 
men against Breyman and began the second engagement, 
in the woods, further north than the other battle. Stark 
collected the militia as soon as possible, and pushed on to 
his assistance. The action became general, and the battle 
continued obstinate on both sides till sunset, when the Ger- 
mans were forced to give way, and were pursued till dark. 
They left their two field-pieces behind, and a considerable 
number were made prisoners. They retreated in the best 
manner they could, improving the advantages of the even- 
ing and night, to which alone their escape was ascribed. 

In these actions the Americans took four brass field- 
pieces, twelve bass drums, two hundred and fifty dragoon 
swords, four ammunition wagons, and about seven hundred 
prisoners, with their arms and accoutrements. Two hun- 
dred and seven men were found dead upon the spot ; the 
number of wounded was unknown. The loss of the 
Americans was small; thirty were slain, and about forty 
were wounded. 

On what small events does popular humor and mili- 
tary success depend ! The capture of one thousand Ger- 
mans by Washington, at Trenton, had roused the drooping 
energies of the continent. The success of Stark at Ben- 
nington gave a turn to the feelings and efforts of the coun- 
try, which resulted in a successful termination of the war. 
This victory was the first event that had proved encourag- 

Of his men ? What information did Stark receive ? 

Who came to his assistance ? Where were his troops raised ? 

What induced him to press on to meet the British reinforcement ? 

How long did the action continue ? What was the result of it ? 

What did the Americans gain by this battle ? 

How many were killed and wounded on each side ? 



226 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Reflections. 



ing to the Americans in the northern department, since the 
death of Genera! Montgomery. Misfortune had succeeded 
misfortune, and defeat had followed defeat, from that period 
to the present. This was the first instance in whicli 
victory had quitted the royal standard, or even seemed 
to he wavering. ' She was now found with the American 
arms ; and the effect seemed, in fact, to be greater than its 
cause.' 

" It raised the spirit of the countr3/- to an uncommon de- 
gree of animation, and, by showing the militia what they 
could perform, rendered them willing and desirous to turn 
out and try what fortunes would await their exertions. It 
had a still greater effect on the royal army. The British 
generals were surprised to hear that an enemy, whom they 
had contemplated with no other feelings than those of con- 
tempt, should all at once wake up, and discover so ^eat 
heroism. To advance upon the mouth of cannon, to j^ttack 
fortified lines, to carry strong intrenchments, were exploits 
which they supposed belonged exclusively to the armies 
of kings. To see a body of American militia, ill dressed, 
but little disciplined, without cannon, armed only with 
farmers' guns without bayonets, and who had been accus- 
tomed to fly at their approach ; that such men should force 
the intrenchments, capture the cannon, kill and make pris- 
oners a large bod}'- of the royal army, was a matter of 
indignation. "^ 

" A crisis was now approaching. Burgoyne could not 
proceed onward to join the army at New York, as he in- 
tended, on account of a want of provisions and stores." 

" His royal army, after their misfortune at Bennington, 
remained quiet in their camp opposite to Saratoga, until 
the middle of September. Having, at length, succeeded in 
obtaining thirty days' provisions in advance, he crossed the 
Hudson on the 13ih and 14th of September, and encamped 
on the heights and plains of Saratoga. 

* Williams' History of Vermont. 

What was-the effect of this battle on the Americans ? The British? 

Why could not Burgoyne go to New York ? 

Where did he remain ? How long ? 

When did he cross the Hudson. ? Where did he encamp ? 

(3) Which way is th.u :vo:n E-nning*on ? (3) From Stillwater? 



hrfccnOy 



-enadiers ~^-i 






-■>^. 






-^ 







AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 227 



Baule of isiillvvaier. 



The American army under General Gales, who succeed- 
ed General Schuyler, arrived in the vicinity of Stillwater 
and fortified their camp. On the night of the 17th, the 
British encamped four miles from the Americans, and 
the next day sent out parties to repair the bridges between 
the two camps. The Americans, three thousand strong, 
were sent to attack the royal troops, but their situation, 
was such that they dared not hazard the attempt. They 
drew up in full view of the enemy, and remained till dark. 
The camp of General Gates extended from the Hudson 
river to the heights on the west, which were between one 
and two miles from the river. (See map XII.) The 
meadows between the two armies were level, and the 
whole country, save some few spots, was covered with 
tall pines. Burgoyne's camp was first pitched four miles 
from Gates ; at some distance north of the camp after the 
action of the 19th of September. 

On the morning of the 19th, General Burgoyne put him- 
self at the head of the right wing of his army, for the pur- 
pose of gaining the American left. The wing was covered 
by General Frazier and Colonel Breyman, with the grena- 
diers and light infantry, and these again were covered by 
the Indians, provincials and Canadians in front and on the 
flanks. This detachment kept along on the heights to the 
vicinity of Freeman's farms; while the left wing and ar- 
tillery, under the command of Phillips and Reidesel, took 
the river road through the meadows, and formed a little 
distance north of Freeman's farms. 

As soon as General Gales saw the movement of the 
right wing of the British, he sent Colonel Morgan with 
his rifle corps to check their progress. Morgan fell in with 
the picket guard at the house on Freeman's farms, about 

Where did the Americans encamp? Under whom ? 

What did the British do on the 17th ? On the 18th? 

Why did not the Americans attack them? 

(12) In what direction did the American camp extend? 

W^hat was the face of the country between it and Burgoyne's camp? 

Yy'hat was liis first manoeuvre on that day ? Its object ? 

Who covered his wing ? To what place ? 

(12) In what direction was that from Burgoyne's head quarters ? 

Whom did Gates send to check the right wing? 

(12) In what direction did he march ? When did he meet them ? 

(12) Which way was that from the American camp ? 



228 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Battle of Stillwater. 



one o'clock, and attacked it so furiously that it retreated 
in confusion, leaving the house surrounded with the dead 
and wounded; bat, pursuing with too great boldness, he 
fell upon the British line, and was obliged to retire with 
some loss. 

Morgan was now reinforced, and the combatants on each 
side rushed on to battle. The American generals, not being 
able to perceive the different evolutions of the enemy, at- 
tempted first to turn their right wing, and flank their line. 
But Frazier, who was posted on the right, prevented them,and 
they turned to the attack of the left wing with great fury. 
The battle became general. The Americans several times 
compelled the British line to give way; but following up 
their advantage, they fell in upon the reserve or second line 
of the British, and were compelled in turn lo retire; this was 
done several times, and the cannon of the enemy were taken 
and retaken, but finally remained in the hands of the ene- 
my for want of horses to bring them off. The British 
bayonet was tried in vain ; on both sides the action was 
kept up with a resolution and steadiness that nothing could 
exceed, till the approach of darkness put an end to the 
contest. Both armies claimed the victory; but all that the 
British effected was to remain on the field. Under the cir- 
cumstances, for them to fight without a decisive victory, 
was defeat: but for the Americans to fight without being 
beaten, had all the effect of victory. 

Severe and undecisive as the conflict had been, the ad- 
vantages that attended it were wholly on the American 
side. The British lost in the action more than five hun- 
dred men, in killed, wounded and prisoners. The Ameri- 
can loss was sixty-four killed, two hundred and seventeen 
wounded, and thirty-eight missing; in all, three hundred 
and nineteen. Besides the diminution of their numbers, 
the battle had given to the British new ideas and feelings, 
irritating and depressing. It astonished the British officers 

With what effect ? What did the Americans, at first, attempt ? 
With what success ? Where was their next attack ? 
With what saccess did they attack the British line ? 
What, at length, put an end to the fighting ? 
Which side Avas victorious ? What was the loss of the British ? 
The Americans ? What impression did this action make on the 
minds of the British in regard to the Americans ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 229 

Battle of Stillwater. 

to see the Yankees, as they were called by way of derision, 
marching out in regular order, commencing and persevering 
in the most animated attacks upon British and German 
troops, often gaining the advantage, and refusing to quit the 
contest till the darkness put it out of their power to con- 
tinue it. They had viewed it as a royal right and pre- 
rogative to disperse the American rebels and cowards 
wherever they found them ; and it was a matter of in- 
dignation, disdain, and extreme mortification, to be attacked, 
effectually opposed and really worsted by such men, after 
a long and obstinate battle. The British commander was 
alarmed with the event, and for the first time seems to 
have been convinced that omnipotence did not belong to 
the army which he commanded. 

The feelings and sentiments of the Americans were quite 
different. They conceived that they had obtained an ^im- 
portant victory over the best troops of Europe. But they 
were soon to engage in a more bloody battle, and to gain a 
more decided victory, an account of which we shall give 
nearly in the language of Williams' History of Vermont, a 
w^ork to which we are much indebted for our description 
of the previous battle. 

General Burgoyne endeavored to put the best appear- 
ance on his adverse situation. His army lay all night upon 
their arms, at some distance from the field of battle, and 
in the morning took a position {g') nearly within can- 
non-shot of the Americans ; fortifying their right, and ex- 
tending their left {g") in such a manner as to cover the 
meadows through which the river runs, and where they 
had placed their batteaux and hospital. The engagement 
had answered so little the expectations of the Indians, that 
they deserted in large bodies, and some of them repaired to 
General Gates. From the 20th of September to the 7th 
of October, the armies were so near each other that not a 
night passed without firing, and sometimes regular attacks 

"What were the feelings of the Americans ? 
"What was the situation of the British army through the night ? 
The next morning? 

(12) In what direction was this from the field of the previous battle ? 
The effect of the battle on the Indians ? 

The relative situation of the two armies from the 20th of Septem- 
ber to the 7th of October ? 
20 



230 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Battle near Saratoga. 



were made on the British pickets. No foraging parties 
could be sent out by the royal army without large detach- 
ments to cover them. The object of the American generals 
was to harass the British troops by constant alarms and 
attacks. In the mean time, General Lincoln had marched 
toward Gates' camp, and, on the 29th of September, joined 
him with two thousand militia. 

General Burgoyne was now under great apprehension 
of increasing difficulties and dangers ; his own provisions 
were rapidly decreasing, and large additions were every 
day made to the American army. In the beginning of 
October, he ventured on a measure which could no longer 
be avoided, a diminution of the soldiers' rations. Receiv- 
ing no intelligence of the expected assistance or co-opera- 
tion of General Clinton, on the 7th of October, General 
Burgoyne made a movement of the British army to the left 
of the Americans, in the hope of securing forage for the 
army, and to discover whether it was possible to force a 
passage, if it should be necessary to advance ; or to intimi- 
date the Americans, if it should be judged best to retreat. 
A detachment of the royal army, consisting of fifteen hun- 
dred regular troops, with two twelve-pounders, two howit- 
zers and six six-pounders, were put in motion. It was com- 
manded by General Burgoyne in person, aided by Major 
Generals Phillips and Reidesel, and Brigadier General 
Frazier. No better generals or troops were at that time to 
be found in the British service. The guard of the camp 
upon the high grounds [h' h" h'") was assigned to the 
Brigadier Generals Hamilton and Spright ; and that of the 
redoubts and plain near the river [g' g") to Brigadier 
General Goll. The force of the Americans in the front 
was supposed to be so much superior, that it was not judged 
safe to augment the detachment. The British troops were 

Who joined Gates on the 29th ? With how many men ? 

What occasion had Burgoyne for alarm ? 

What measure did he adopt ? 

What was the object of his movement on the 7th of October ? 

How large was this detachment ? Who commanded it ? 

What other generals accompanied him ? 

(12) In what direction were they stationed from Burgoyne's head 

quarters ? Who guarded the camp on the heights ? 
(12) Which way was that station Hi' h" h'") from the one on the 

plain {g' g'') ? Who guardea the redoubts ? 



AMEraCAN REVOLUTION. 231 

Battle near Saratoga. 

formed within three quarters of a mile of the left of the 
Americans ; and their irregulars were pushed on through 
various by-ways, to appear as a check on their rear. 

Gates soon received intelligence of the march of the 
royal army, and immediately put his troops in motion. 
About four o'clock in the afternoon, the American column 
approached the royal detachment, (i,) and was fired upon 
by the tvv^elve and six pounders. Disregarding the fire, 
they drew up along the skirts of the woods, amidst the 
trees, about tv.^o hundred yards distant from the British ar- 
tillery. No sooner were they formed, than they made a 
very sudden and rapid attack upon the British grenadiers, 
{fig. 6,) who were posted to support the left wing of the 
line. Major Ackland, at the head of the grenadiers, sus- 
tained this fierce assault with great resolution ; but Gene- 
ral Gates having ordered out more regiments, the Ameri- 
cans extended their attack along the whole front of the 
Germans, who were posted immediately on the right of the 
British grenadiers. In this situation, it became impossible 
lO move any part of the German troops to form a second 
line, to support the flank, where the heavy weight of the 
fire became irresistible. 

The right of the British troops was still unengaged; but 
it was perceived that a large body of the Americans (c,) 
were marching round their flank, to cut off their retreat. 
To oppose this bold and dangerous measure, the British 
light infantry and their twenty-fourth regiment were di- 
rected to form a second line in order to cover the retreat 
of the troops to their camp. 

While this movement was taking place, the Americans 
pushed forward a strong reinforcement to decide the action 
on the British left, which, being totally overpowered, 

"When did Gates meet the detachment ? 

(12) Which wa}'- was that (i) from the American camp ? 

(12) Where did he make his first attack (5) ? 

(12) Which way was this (5) from the cannon (i) that had been 

firing upon them ? 
To what point did he extend the attack ? 
(12) Which v/ay were the Germans stationed from the British 

grenadiers ? The effect of this upon the Germans ? 
What attempt was making on the British right wing ? 
How was it guarded against ? 
What were the Am^ericans doing to the British left ? 



232 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Battle near Saratoga. 



\yas compelled to give way ; and the British light infantry 
and the twenty-fourth regiment were obliged, by a very 
quick movement, to endeavor to save that wing from 
being totally destroyed; in this manoeuvre General Fra- 
zier was mortally wounded. The situation of the whole 
detachment had become extremely critical ; but the danger 
to which their lines were exposed, was still more serious 
and alarming. Phillips and Reidesel were ordered to 
cover the retreat; and those troops which were nearest, 
or most disengaged, returned as fast as they could for their 
defence. They were obHged, however, to abandon six 
pieces of cannon, most of the artillery-men being slain and 
the horses entirely destroyed. The British troops gener- 
ally retreated in good order, having been chased for nearly 
a mile in their retreat. They had scarcely entered their 
camp, when the Americans stormed it with great fury, 
rushing on through a severe fire of grape-shot and small 
arms, with the most desperate valor, {al a".) Arnold led on 
the attack with his usual impetuosity, but met with a spir- 
ited resistance from the hght infantry under Lord Bal- 
carras, who had been ordered to defend that part of the 
line. The engagement continued with the utmost obsti- 
nacy on both sides, till Arnold was wounded and forced to 
retire, {a) His troops continued the attack with the greatest 
bravery and perseverance, but found the British grenadiers 
so strongly posted, that they finally succeeded in defending 
their lines. But in another quarter, where the Germans 
were posted, the Americans, led by Colonel Brooks, car- 
ried the intrenchments sword in hand, totally routing 
the enemy, with the loss of their baggage, tents and ar- 
tillery ; {b ;) nor could the post be regained, though 

What saved that from being routed ? 

What British general was mortally wounded in this engagement ? 
Who were to cover the retreat ? 

How many pieces of cannon did they leave ? Why ? 
How far did the Americans follow them ? 
After they entered their camp what did the Americans do ? 
Which way was this (a' a") from the field of their late engagement ? 
Who led the attack ? Who led the defendants ? 
What officer was wounded ? Was the attack successful ? 
How did the attack against the Germans succeed ? 
Who conducted it ? (12) Which way was this (b) from Arnold's 
attack (a') ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 233 

Battle near Saratoga. 

Burgoyne, extremely anxious to recover it, employed some 
of the best of the British troops to effect the object. In 
this attack, Colonel Breyman, who commanded the Ger- 
mans, was slain, with a great number of his men. The 
Americans kept possession of the ground which they had 
gained ; and nothing put an end to the action, or left the 
remaining part of the British camp in quietness, but the 
approach of night. 

This action was one of the most animated and obstinate 
that had ever been fought in America. Arnold, through 
the whole of it, was actuated by military rage. In the 
heat of the engagement he paid but little regard to military 
maxims, and appeared to be intent on nothing but attacking 
and bearing down the enemy. The American troops 
caught the same spirit, and, regardless of all consequences, 
were ready to follow their officers through all dangers and 
hazards. And never had a British army met with a more 
fierce and determined opposition ; they now found the 
Americans were not only determined to defend their coun- 
try, but resolutely fixed on conquering and capturing the 
whole royal army. Besides General Frazier and Colonel 
Breyman, several other officers were slain. The loss of 
the Americans was very small. They had taken two hun* 
dred prisoners, nine pieces of artillery, the encampment, of 
a whole German brigade, with all their equipage; and, 
what was of still greater consequence to them, they had 
taken a large supply of ammunition, the want of which 
had been severely felt in the American camp. 

When the day closed, the distress and calamity of the 
royal army was found to be of so serious and extensive a 
nature, as to demand their immediate attention. A dan- 
gerous opening was now made on their right flank and 
rear, {h' and b.) The Americans had halted at the distance 
of only half a mile ; and between twelve and one o'clock 
at night. General Lincoln, who during the action had com- 
manded within the works, marched with his division to 

"What officer was slain in the last engagement ? 

Why did not the action continue ? 

"What officer particularly distinguished himself for his rage in this 

battle ? What advantage did the Americans secure ? 
What movement did lancoln make in the night ? 
20^ 



234 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Battle near Saratoga. 

relieve the troops that had been engaged, and to keep pos- 
session of the ground they had gained. In this situation, 
a total change of position became necessary to the British, 
to save their army from total destruction. It was accord- 
ingly executed that very night, with the greatest silence, 
order and intrepidity ; the whole army moving to the ad- 
jacent heights, and forming a new camp, where they could 
not be attacked with advantage, (c') 

The next day, the 8th, the royal troops were under 
arms the whole day, expecting the action would be renew- 
ed; but nothing took place except a cannonading, and 
small skirmishes, which occasioned some loss to both par- 
ties. The object of General Gates now was not to attack, 
but to surround the British army in such a manner as to 
prevent their escape. To effect this purpose, previous to 
the last action, he had posted fourteen hundred Americans 
on the heights opposite to the ford of Saratoga ; and two 
thousand had been sent to prevent a retreat to Fort EdAvard» 
During the day, fifteen hundred more were posted at the 
ford which was higher up the river. Burgoyne, having re- 
ceived intelligence of these movements, concluded that 
Gates meant to turn the right flank of the royal army ; 
which, when accomplished, would have completely enclosed 
his army on every side. To prevent this disaster, it was 
determined to make an immediate retreat to Saratoga, and 
to execute it that very night. Accordingly, about nine 
o'clock in the evening, the royal army began their retreat ; 
abandoning the hospital, with the sick and wounded, to the 
mercy of the Americans. General Gates discovered on 
this occasion that humanity and tenderness which was 
highly honorable to his own character, and greatly useful 

Where did the British remove in the night ? 

(12) Which way was that (c') from the river ? (12) From the field 
of battle ? How did the British army spend the next day ? 

What was Gates' object ? 

Where did he station fourteen hundred men ? 

Where two thousand? 

(3) Which way was Fort Edward from Saratoga? 

Where fifteen hundred ? When ? 

What did Burgoyne determine to do when he heard of these move- 
ments ? Whom did he leave behind ? 

How did Gates treat them ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 235 

Battle near Saratoga. 



and salutary to those whom the fortune of war had thus 
thrown friendless and forlorn into his hands. The royal 
army now made the best of their way to Saratoga, which 
was not more than six miles distant. But such were the 
badness of the roads, the starving condition of the cattle, 
with an incessant storm of rain, and other difficulties, that 
the army did not arrive at Saratoga till the next night, 
and it was then worn down with fatigue and distress. 

On the morning of October the 10th, the royal army 
and artillery passed the fords of the Fishkill, a little to the 
north of Saratoga; they found a body of the Americans 
already arrived and throwmg up intrenchments on the 
heights before them. They retired on the approach of the 
British, but joined a greater force which had been stationed 
to prevent the passage of the royal army. Every hope 
of escape was now cut off, but that of making a retreat to 
Fort George. To effect this, a detachment of artificers, 
under a strong escort, were sent forward to repair the 
bridges, and open a road to Fort Edward. This detach- 
ment had proceeded but a little way from the camp, before 
the sudden appearance of the Americans in great force 
obliged Burgoyne to recall the escort that was sent out ; 
and soon after, on a very slight attack by a small party of 
Americans, the provincial guard of the royalists abandoned 
their posts, and left their workmen to shift for themselves ; 
having done no more than to begin some repairs on one 
of the bridges. 

Nothing was now wanting to complete the reduction of 
the British army, but to cut off their resources for provis- 
ions. These had hitherto been brought to their camp by 
the boats which had followed them along on the Hudson 
river from Stillwater to Saratoga ; but this resource had 
now failed. The eastern shore of the river was lined with 
strong detachments from the American army; and the 
British batteaux loaded with provisions and other necessa- 



When did the British army arrive at Saratoga ? Why not sooner ? 
Whom did they find at Fishkill ? 

Which way is that from Saratoga ? What hope still remained ? 
To realize it what was done ? Did this succeed ? Why ? 
What remained to be done in order to reduce the whole British 
army ? How waa this attempted ? 



238 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

B.ilUa near Saratoga. 

ies were of course exposed to their continual assaults, r^ot- 
.vithstanding all the care that could be taken. Many of 
Liiem were taken by the Americans, and a number of 
men were lost in the skirmishes that took place on these 
occasions. At length it was found that nothing more 
could be effected this way ; and whatever was attempted 
to be carried to the British, would not fail to fall into the 
hands of the Americans. 

In circumstances so desperate, a council of war was 
held, to consider the practicability of a retreat. The only 
measure that could be supposed to bear the appearance of 
possibility in this respect, was to attempt to gain Fort 
Edward by a night march, and to carry their provisions on 
their backs. That it was impossible to repair the roads 
and bridges, and to carry their artillery and baggage in car- 
riages, was abundantly evident. It was proposed, there- 
fore, as the only practicable attempt, to march off by night, 
and force a passage at the fords near Fort Edward; and 
preparations were making to carry into effect this desperate 
and forlorn resolve. But all hope of effecting this ma- 
noeuvre soon failed. Intelligence was received that the 
Americans were strongly intrenched opposite to the fords 
at which the British proposed to pass; that they had 
a camp well fortified with artillery on the high grounds 
between Fort Edward and Fort George ; and that their 
parties were everywhere spread over the opposite bank of 
the Hudson, waiting and ready to oppose every motion of 
the royal army. 

In this melancholy situation the British army remained 
for some time, lying constantly on their arms. Every 
hope seemed to fail Their numbers had been constantly 
decreasing for several weeks. Their spirits and strength 
were worn down by ill success and extreme fatigue. A 
continued cannonade pervaded their camp, and even rifle 
and grape shot fell into every part of their lines. The 
Indians, Canadians, and provincial loyalists, had mostly 
deserted them. They had entertained hopes that their 
friends at New York would attempt to relieve them. 

Did it succeed ? Why ? 

What was holden ? On what did it dcterniine ? 

Did this succeed ? Why ? What v.'as the stale of the British ' 



AMERICAN EEVOLUTION. 237 

Baiile near Saratoga. 

but in vain. Nothing was to be expected from any rash 
measures or attempts of the Americans, for Gates dis- 
covered no disposition to attack them, though his num- 
bers were every day increasing. And Burgoyne, upon 
a careful examination of their whole stock of provis- 
ions, found that they had not more than sufficient for 
three days. 

Reduced to such a distressed situation, on the 13th of 
October, General Burg03me called a council, to which he 
invited not only the superior officers of his army, but all 
the captains who commanded corps or divisions. There 
was not a spot of ground in the whole camp, for holding 
the council of war, which was not exposed to cannon or 
rifle shot ; and while they were deliberating an eighteen- 
pound ball crossed the table. The result of the council 
was, a unanimous determination to enter into a treaty with 
General Gates. The condition upon which General Gates 
proposed that they should surrender was rather humiliating 
to their pride, and expecting assistance, they delayed sign- 
ing the treaty until the morning of the 17th, when General 
Gates put every thing in readiness for attacking the British 
army. And at nine o'clock, the time agreed upon for 
signing the articles, he sent Colonel Greaton on horseback 
to General Burgoyne, requiring his signature, and allowing 
no more than ten minutes to go and return. This business 
was completed by General Burgoyne without any further 
delay, and Greaton returned with the treaty within ten 
minutes. All hostile appearances immediately ceased, and 
the Americans marched back to their lines, to the tune of 
Yankee Doodle, in perfect order, and without any appear- 
ance of insolence or exultation. 

The terras granted to the royal array, considering their 
reduced situation, must be viewed as more favorable than 

Wliat was called ? When ? 

What crossed the table "u-hile they were consulting ? 

What "was determined upon ? Why did they delay ? 

What did Gates get ready tc do on the 17th ? 

"^Tiom did he send to Burg-05'ne ? For what ? When ? 

How soon was he to return ? 

Did he accomplish his object and return within the time ? 

TvTiat did the Americans do on his return ? 



238 SCHOOL HISTORY 



Battle near Saratoga. 



they had a right to expect. The army was to march out 
of their camp with the honors of war, and the artillery out 
of the intrenchments, to the verge of the river, and there de- 
posit their arms. They were to be allowed a free passage 
from Boston to Great Britain, on condition of not serving 
again in North America during the war. 

Gates had been a British officer, and he was attentive to 
the painful feelings of the royal army, and did not wish to 
add any aggravating circumstances to their humiliation. 
He carried the nice delicacy of military honor so far, that 
the American troops were kept within their lines while the 
royal army was going through the degrading work of lay- 
ing down their arms. The humanity and politeness of the 
American commander was the more unexpected and praise- 
worthy, as his whole army was at this time justly irritated 
by the destruction of the mills and buildings at Saratoga, 
which were burnt by order of General Burgoyne, when he 
was forced to retreat from that place. 

The number of troops who on this occasion laid down 
their arms was five thousand seven hundred and ninety- 
one. The sick and wounded left in the hospital, were 
stated at five hundred and twenty-eight ; and the loss in 
battles, by sickness and desertion, after the 6th of July, 
vas computed at two thousand nine hundred and thirty- 
hree ; the whole amount being, probably, nine thousand 
vwo hundred and fifty-two ; for by every account, the 
royal army, when it left Canada, was full ten thousand 
strong. A fine train of brass artillery, amounting to forty- 
two pieces of different sorts and sizes, beside the small 
arms and ammunition, fell also into the hands of the Ameri- 
cans. And so reduced was the British army with respect 
to provisions, that they had neither bread nor flour, nor 
salt meat but for one day. 

Thus terminated the boasting and self-gratulation of 

What were the terms of capitulation ? 
"Where did Gates keep his troops during the surrender? 
Why ? What made his conduct particularly praiseworthy? 
How many had the British lost in all these actions ? 
What fell into the hands of the Americans ? 

For how long a time had the British provisions when they surren- 
dered ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 239 

Reflection. . Battle of Brandy wine. 

Burgoyne, and the expedition of which England cher- 
ished such elevated and ardent hopes. This success not 
merely awakened the hopes of congress and the American 
army, but secured the respect of foreign powers, and par- 
ticularly of France. 

While the British were thus repulsed and weakened in 
the north, Washington was no less active and vigorous, 
though not always so successful, in opposing them in the 
south. The British generals who had long possessed New 
York, formed the design of capturing Philadelphia. For 
this purpose they left Sandy Hook, south of New York, on 
the 23d of July, and sailed up Chesapeake bay, thence to 
the head of Elk river, where they landed their troops, 
amounting to about eighteen thousand mfen. Washington 
had for some time remained at different places in New 
Jersey, critically watching the movements of his enemies. 
When he heard that they had left Staten Island and sailed 
south, he at once understood their design and determined 
to prevent its accomplishment. His army had been much 
reduced by the large and numerous detachments which 
he had sent, from time to time, to aid Burgoyne in the 
northern expedition. With the remainder of his troops, 
under the command of Generals Green, Sullivan, Stir- 
ling and Wayne, he crossed the Delaware, passed through 
Pennsylvania into Delaware, and stationed himself first 
about two miles from the British camp, and afterwards 
went further north to elevated ground near Chad's Ford, 
on the north-east side of the Brandy wine. Here Washing- 
ton did not think it best to risk an engagement ; but for 

"What was the effect of this victory on Congress ? 

On foreign powers ? 

Where was the other principal division of the British army at this 

lime ? (1) Where is Sandy Hook? 
When did they leave it ? (4) In what direction did they sail ? 
Where land ? (4) Which way is that from New York ? 
(4) From Philadelphia ? How many ? When ? 
Where was Washington ? 

What had reduced his army ? What generals were with him ? 
In what direction did he march ? 

What river did he cross, and through what state did he pass ? 
How far from the British did he at first station himself? 
Where afterwards ? (13) Which way is the latter from Elk Head ? 
(13) Both from Philadelphia? 



240 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Battle of Brandy wine. Battle at Goshen. 

once he yielded to the opinion of some of his associates and 
hazarded a disadvantageous action. 

Early on the morning of the 11th of September, the 
British marched in two divisions to give battle to the Ameri- 
cans ; the first, under Knyphausen, proceeded directly to- 
ward Chad's Ford and attempted to cross it in front of the 
American line ; the second, under Cornwallis, passed fur- 
ther north on the west side of the Brandywine, and having 
crossed its two branches, marched down on the east side to 
turn the right wing of the Americans. The first division 
of the royal army occupied the attention of Washington, 
and he did not learn that the second division was advanc- 
ing till they had approached too near to allow him suitable 
time to prepare for defence. The right wing of his army 
was turned ; the battle soon became general and his troops 
displayed great valor ; and though their loss was dreadful 
and their enemies had the advantage of the field, still they 
maintained their defence through the day. But they were 
at length routed, and every effort to rally them proved un- 
successful. They lost about thirteen hundred killed, 
wounded and taken prisoners. La Fayette was among the 
number who were wounded, and Pulaski, a Polander, among 
the captives. The British loss is said to have been about 
one hundred killed and four hundred taken prisoners. On 
the following night the Americans retreated to Chester, and 
on the next day, by way of Philadelphia to Germantown. 
The British army for some days continued to plunder and 
capture in Wilmington and other towns. 

Congress did not consider this battle decisive, and there- 
fore advised the commander-in-chief to hazard another 
engagement. The two armies met on the 16th at Goshen ; 
but a heavy rain soon put an end to the action. The de- 

When was the battle of Brandywine ? 

[n how many divisions did the British proceed to the engagement ? 

Under whose command ? 

Give an account of the movement of each. 

How did the Americans conduct ? How long did they continue 

their defence ? Which party triumphed ? 
(13) Which way from Chad's Ford is Chester? Philadelphia? 

Germantown ? ^Vilmington ? 
What did Congress advise Washington to do ? Where did the 

two armies meet ? What terminated the engagement ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 241 

BitUl e at Germaniown. British in Philade lphia. 

tachment of the Americans under General Wayne was 
however surprised, and three hundred cut off. Washing- 
ton was now obliged, from the circumstances in which he 
was placed, to abandon the city of Philadelphia to the ene- 
my. They entered it on the 26th. The main body of the 
British remained at Germantawn, several miles north-west 
of that city. The American army was still further back in 
the country. Congress, finding itself insecure, adjourned 
to Lancaster, and invested Washington again with extraor- 
dinary powers for prosecuting the war. 

The battle of Germantown followed, October the 4th. 
Washington commenced the attack early in the morning, 
when several detachments had just left Howe's army. At 
first the British were driven from their post, but their 
officers soon rallied the troops and returned to the attack 
with renewed courage. Some of Washington's soldiers 
were undisciplined, and most of those who were well trained 
were thrown into confusion by a dense fog, which came on 
as they were renewing the attack. On these two accounts 
the Americans suffered a defeat, with the loss of one 
thousand two hundred killed, wounded and taken prison- 
ers. The bravery exhibited by the troops on this occasion 
was such as to elicit from Congress a vote of thanks. The 
British loss did not exceed five hundred. 

A few days after the battle, the royal army removed 
from Germantown to Philadelphia ; an event, which, though 
seemingly unpropitious, yet in the end was highly benefi- 
cial to America. For Lord Howe was here so entirely 
cut off from all supplies, by the threatening attitude of 
Washington's army, and the edict of congress which made 
it death for any one to relieve him, that " instead of his 

When did the British enter Philadelphia ? 
To what place did congress adjourn ? 
r4) Which way is it from Philadelphia ? 
With what power did they invest Washington ? 
When was the battle of Germantown ? 

(13) Which way is that from Philadelphia ? From Trenton ? 
With what advantage did Washington commence it ? 
What v/as the success of the first attack ? 

What two causes embarrassed the Americans in the second attack ? 
Who were defeated ? With what loss ? 
What did the bravery of the soldiers elicit from congress ? 
Where did the royal army remove ? 
21 



242 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Troops on Mud Island, at Red Bank and White Marsh. 

taking Philadelphia, Philadelphia took him." In this pre- 
dicament it became necessary for him to open the passage 
of the Delaware, in order to hold communication with his 
brother, Admiral Howe. 

To accomplish this object, Howe had sent some detach- 
ments under Cornwallis and Stirling down the banks of 
the Delaware, before the battle of Germantown, to take 
possession of the American posts on Mud Island near the 
mouth of the Schuylkill, and at Red Bank and Billings' 
Point, on the eastern shore of the Delaware, nearly opposite 
that island. The first attack was at Red Bank, and proved 
unsuccessful; the second, upon Mud Island, was equally 
unfortunate for the British. But this island was soon tak- 
en by stratagem, and the Americans who defended it fled 
to the forts at Red Bank. The British, under Cornwallis, 
next crossed the Delaware, and having taken possession of 
Billings' Point, marched north to take the forts at Red 
Bank and thus open the river to the unobstructed naviga- 
tion of their fleet. The Americans, aware of their approach 
and knowing their own inability to defend themselves, 
abandoned the forts, leaving a number of their field-pieces 
and some of their stores, and burning such of their ships as 
could not pass further up the river. Howe soon marched 
his army to White Marsh, north-west of Germantown, where 
Washington had concentrated his forces, amounting to about 
fifteen thousand men. Here he attempted to draw out the 
American hero to fight with him in the open field. But 
his attempt was unsuccessful, and he soon returned to pass 
the winter in Philadelphia. The Americans marched a 
few miles west of White Marsh to their winter quarters, at 
Valley Forge, on the Schuylkill. Here they arrived on the 

What did it become necessary for Howe to do ? Why ? 

What was the success of the first attack on Red Bank ? 

On Mud Island ? Of the second attack on the island ? 

What was the movement of Cornwallis at this time ? 

(13) Which way are these places from Philadelphia? 

What did the Americans do as he approached ? 

Where did the armies next appear? 

(13) Which way is that from Pennsylvania ? 

(13) From Germantown ? (13) From Red Bank? 

(13) From Valley Forge ? How large was the American army f 

To what place did the British retire ? The Americans ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 243 

Sufferings at Valley Forge. 

11th of December, when it was found that the magazines 
contained scarcely provisions for a single day. Their little 
stock of clothing had been worn out in the service. Some 
had but one shirt, others scarcely the remnants of one, 
many none at all. But very few had the benefit of a 
blanket to protect them from the cold during the night. 
And these suffering soldiers, who had been chilled by the 
cold during the day for want of comfortable clothing, were 
obliged to sleep upon the cold and frozen ground. In 
consequence of their destitute condition, more than three 
thousand were exempted from duty, and a large number 
closed their sufferings with their lives. The hospitals were 
crowded with the sick and dying ; for they were alike des- 
titute of medicine and of any thing that could minister to 
their comfort or recovery. Faint indeed must be any de- 
scription which can now be given of the sufferings of these 
brave and noble veterans. Indeed, it can scarce find a 
parallel. Many causes co-operated in producing this suf- 
fering beside the want of clothing and medicine. Bills 
of credit were reduced one fourth, so that twenty dollars of 
paper currency would purchase no more than five dollars 
in silver ; and the departure of many of the bravest officers 
from the army for want of support, discouraged many of 
the soldiers and rendered them unwilling to remain in the 
service of their country. As we call to mind their distress, 
let us cherish a deep sense of the debt of gratitude we owe 
them, and, " as citizens of that republic whose liberties they 
purchased at so dear a price, let us feel our responsibilities 
to transmit them unsullied, unimpaired, uncorrupted to 
future generations." 

During the campaigns of 1776-7, America reaped great 
advantage from the successful cruises of her privateers. 
They captured upwards of five hundred of the enemy's ves- 
sels, penetrated into almost every part of the English de- 
pendencies, and met with unexpected success. 

No reflecting mind can consider the situation of the 

When did they arrive at Valley Forge ? 

Give an account of their sufferings there. 

What feeling should these awaken in us ? 

What advantage did America derive from her privateers ? 



244 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Valley Forge. 

American army during this year, and not exclaim, their 
preservation was truly wonderful ! And to what cause 
shall it be attributed ? They were pursued by a superior 
force, which might easily have cut them off at Valley Forge 
and many other places, if it had improved the favorable 
opportunities it enjoyed. Their remarkable preservation 
was not the result of generalship and military skill, for of 
these their enemies probably had a still greater share. It 
was the result of that superintending Providence which 
rules the affairs of men, of that great and glorious Being 
whose merciful interpositions appear so frequently and so 
conspicuously in the history of our country. Dark indeed 
must be the mind that does not perceive them, and hard 
the heart which feels no gratitude for them. 



SECTION IV. 

Campaign of 1778. 

While the Americans were suffering in their winter 
quarters at Valley Forge, the British were rioting in the 
luxuries of the capital of the country. In the general dis- 
tress of our troops no one partook more abundantly than 
the commander-in-chief Nature had given him tender 
sensibilities, which prepared him to sympathize most deep- 
ly with his distressed brethren. He made every effort to 
relieve their misery. He appealed to the compassion of his 
surrqunding countrymen ; with many of the other officers 
he made large drafts from his own property ; he represent- 
ed the state of the army to congress and prayed for re- 
lief With importunity he urged them to make all neces- 
sary preparations for the vigorous prosecution of the war 
in the opening spring. But with all his exertions the army 

What in the history of this year will appear wonderful to a reflect- 
ing mind ? To what cause is this preservation to be ascribed ? 

How do divine interpositions appear in the history of our country? 

What must be the state of his mind who does not see them? 

And of his heart who does not feel grateful for them ? 

Mention any other tilings in our national histonj which should excite our 
gratitude. 

Who suffered most severely at Valley Forge ? 

What attempts did he make to relieve the sufferings of others? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 245 

Washington envied. Result of this envy. 

were not ready for the services of the field till summer. 
Fortunately for the country, the enemy were detained in 
their winter quarters, except as small detachments went 
out to plunder in the neighborhood, till the Americans were 
ready to march. 

One circumstance which greatly increased the trials of 
Washington, it would be pleasant to pass over in silence, 
if justice to him and to our national story would permit. 
For it is never pleasant to speak of envy and malice, and 
especially is it painful, when a disclosure of these unholy 
passions is to tarnish the characters of such men as 
the heroes of our revolution; men, from whose toils and 
sufferings we derive so many blessings. But when justice 
cries " speak," silence must be an ofTence. The success 
3f some of those generals who conducted the northern cam- 
paign of 1777 prepared them to look with jealousy and en- 
vy on the movements and the station of Washington. 
Combined with several other designing and ambitious men, 
they represented him to congress to be lax in discipline 
and deficient in many qualities essential in the leader of 
so important an enterprise. For a time, they induced many 
members of the national council to credit their account and 
to appoint an inspector-general and a board of war. They 
circulated reports about Washington as unfavorable as they 
were untrue and unjust, and produced temporary dissatis- 
faction both among the people and the troops. But the 
triumph of calumniators is short, and they generally sink 
to a deeper infamy by as much as they have risen to a high- 
er pitch of furtive renown. There is no path to true great- 
ness and to imperishable glory but that of justice and truth. 
A watchful congress and an honest people cannot long be 
duped. They soon saw the designs of these machinations, 
and the envy from which they generally originated. A 

When were the army ready for the campaign of this year ? 
Where were the British in the mean time ? 
Of what is it painful to speak ? 
Do not these passions always produce unhappiness ? 
What renders it specially painful to speak of them here ? 
Who were invidious ? Why ? 
How did they represent him ? To whom ? 
What at first was the effect of these on congress ? 
On the people and the army ? What is the common doom of the 
invidious ? 

21^ 



246 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Baron Hill. Independence acknowled ged by France. ^ Commisaioners. 

cloud of indignation came over the traducers of Washing- 
ton's character, and while it burst upon their guilty heads, 
the hero of America shone in the eyes of his countrymen 
like gold which had been tried in a furnace, and he arose 
at once above suspicion, and to that proud eminence, on 
which he will sit in triumph for ever. 

We have already remarked, that both armies remained 
at their respective winter quarters till summer, and that 
there were no engagements during this period except some 
small skirmishes between detachments from the main body 
of the armies. The principal of these was that at Baron 
Hill, between two thousand Americans under La Fayette, 
and five thousand British under General Grant, which 
terminated in favor of the republican cause. 

When the intelligence of the capture of Burgoyne reached 
the continent of Europe, the American ministers at the 
court of France alarmed the French government by pre- 
tending a disposition to form an alliance with England, 
now evidently more ready to grant the requests of her for- 
mer colonies. France, glad of any measure that might 
tend to weaken so powerful a neighbor, was induced to ac- 
knowledge the independence of America, on the 6th of 
February, 1778. Soon after the arrival of this news from 
France, Carlisle, Eden and Johnston arrived at Philadel- 
phia. Under pretence of being commissioners from Eng- 
land, they attempted to bribe, corrupt and divide the colo- 
nies. But their propositions were rejected with scorn. 
General Reed, when offered ten thousand pounds sterling, 
and any office in the gift of the king, replied, " I am not 
worth purchasing; but such as I am, the king of England 
(S not rich enough to buy me." 

What was the ultimate effect of this on the invidious ? 

On Washington ? 

How long did the armies remain in their winter quarters ? 

Were there no skirmishes in the time ? 

Where was the principal one ? What was its result ? 

What pretence did the American ministers to France make when 
they heard of Burgoyne's surrender ? 

When did France acknowledge our independence ? 

Who were sent over to this country as commissioners from Eng- 
land ? 

What did they attempt ? How was their proposal received ? 

What did General Reed say to it ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 247 

Battle of Monmouth. 

In the course of the spring, Sir Henry Clinton arrived at 
the camp of the British army to succeed Howe as its com- 
mander. Having evacuated Philadelphia on the 18th of 
June, he encountered Washington's army on the 28th, 
which had moved from Valley Forge, to intercept the pas- 
sage of the enemy to New York. This battle was at Mon- 
mouth, which lies between sixty and seventy miles north- 
east of Philadelphia. Generals Lee and La Fayette led 
the American van, and after the first assault, in which the 
British were repulsed, Lee, instead of urging on the pur- 
suit according to Washington's command, retreated to form 
his lines on the heights in his rear. Washington, with the 
principal division of the army, met his troops and ordered 
them to pass forward to renew the attack. They obeyed 
his orders and the action soon became general, and Lee 
displayed so much magnanimity and courage that his dis- 
obedience would have been pardoned, if not forgotten, if he 
had not sent his commander an insolent letter after the 
engagement. This aggravated his offence and caused him 
to be suspended from office for one year. 

Hardly a battle of the revolution was distinguished by 
more suffering on both sides and less advantage to either, 
than this. Many of the bravest of both the American and 
British troops perished from the extremity of the heat ; 
while many who survived suffered inconceivably from 
thirst, and in some instances their parched tongues were 
so swollen as to render it impossible to retain them wholly 
in the mouth. In this state of dreadful suffering, the bat- 
tle continued till night separated the two armies. Neither 
were decidedly victorious, though the advantage of the day 
was in favor of the Americans. They lay upon their arms 
during the night, with the determination of renewing the 
engagement early in the morning. In the mean time Clin- 
ton's army retired, and at the dawn of day they had ad- 

Who succeeded Howe ? 

When did he leave Philadelphia ? 

When was the battle of Monmouth ? 

(13) Which way is that from Philadelphia ? From New York ? 

why was Lee suspended ? 

What increased the suffering in this battle ? 

What put an end to the battle ? 

Was either side victorious ? Which gained the advantage ? 

What became of ihe British army in the night ? 



248 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Count D'Estaigne. Siege of Newport. 

vanced several miles toward New York. They soon ar- 
rived at Sandy Hook, and thence passed over to that city. 
In this battle the Americans lost eight officers and sixty- 
one privates killed, and one hundred and sixty wounded. 
The loss of the British in killed, wounded and missing, 
was three hundred and fifty-eight ; besides many who were 
taken prisoners, and nearly a thousand who deserted the 
army after it left Philadelphia. 

Washington remained in New Jersey till the 1st of July, 
and then proceeded to the Hudson, leaving only Colonel 
Morgan with a company of dragoons. 

In consequence of a treaty of alliance with France, a 
French fleet of twelve ships of the line and six frigates 
was sent, under the command of Count D'Estaigne, to aid 
the Americans. He intended to attack the English fleet, 
but the size of his ships prevented him from passing the 
bar between Sandy Hook and Long Island. The plan was 
then formed to attack General Pigott, who had possession 
of Rhode Island. Washington despatched General Sulli- 
van with ten thousand men, who were to besiege Newport 
by land, while the fleet were to attack it by sea. But Ad- 
miral Howe decoyed the count, and led him to give chase 
to the British fleet. 

Sullivan commenced the siege of Newport about the 
middle of August, still expecting aid from the French, but 
when they returned, the ships were unfit for service, and 
the admiral sailed for Boston to repair. After some skir- 
mishes, Sullivan left the island, just in season to avoid 
General Clinton, who arrived with a strong reinforcement. 

'After General Sullivan left Rhode Island, Clinton re- 
turned to New York, designing to attack New London on 

How many did the Americans lose in this battle? 

How many did the British lose ? 

Where did they establish themselves next ? 

Where the Americans ? 

What was sent over from France at this time ? Under whom ? 

How large was it ? What was his intention ? 

What diverted him from it ? What plan was then formed ? 

Who was to aid him ? With how many men ? 

Who undertook the siege of Newport ? 

(3) Which way from Providence is Newport ? 

Why did not the French fleet aid him ? 

What British general arrived just after he raised the siege ? 

(3) Which way from Newport is New London ? 



AMERICAN EEVOLUTION. 249 

Gray's expedition. Destruction of Wyoming. La Fayette's return to France. 

the way, but was prevented by adverse winds. He sent 
his transports to Buzzard's bay, where a large number of 
American privateers were destroyed. General Gray com- 
manded the expedition, and landing at New Bedford, Fair- 
haven, and other places, destroyed many mills, store-houses 
and much property. 

During this campaign, the Indians and tories committed 
brutal barbarities. Many of the latter, says an excellent 
historian, seemed to be lost to all feelings of humanity. 
The destruction of Wyoming may give some idea of these 
barbarities. Wyoming was a settlement on the Susque- 
hannah, consisting of eight or ten towns. Several forts 
were erected for their defence, in which most of the people 
took shelter. Two of these nearest the frontiers were at- 
tackedbya large body of Indians and tones, and being obliged 
to surrender, all the men were murdered. Proceeding to 
another, the commander inquired what terms would be al- 
lowed if the fort surrendered. He was answered "the 
hatchet," and when they could make no more resistance, 
they were all, men, women and children, burned to death. 
The fourth fort surrendered without resistance, hoping 
thereby to experience better treatment, but nothing could 
soften the hearts of these inhuman monsters. They butch- 
ered all they could find, and even disregarded the ties of 
consanguinity ; the son murdering the mother that had 
nursed him ! ! ! The invaders laid waste the whole settle- 
ment. 

La Fayette returned to France at the close of this year, 
hoping to secure additional assistance from that country. 
The French fleet sailed for the West Indies in November, 
and Admiral Howe, with the British fleet, followed it in De- 
cember. Each captured some of the possessions of the 
other power. 

The attack upon the south, which the British designed 
to make during this year, was deferred till the last of De- 

(3) Which way from Providence is Buzzard's bay ? Are New 

Bedford and Fairhaven ? 
Of what disgraceful conduct was Gray guilty ? 
What was the conduct of the Indians and tories in 1778 ? 
Give some account of the destruction of Wyoming. 

(4) Which Aray was it from Philadelphia ? 
When did La Fayette return to France ? 
Where did the French fleet go ? 



250 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Siege of Savannah. 

cember, and an account of it may be more appropriately 
given in connection with the campaign of the following 
year. Washington, urged by the inclemency of the weath 
er, retired late in the autumn to his winter quarters at Mid- 
dlebrook, in New Jersey. 



SECTION V. 

1779. 

We have already noticed the design of the British to 
attack the southern states during the campaign of the last 
year. Georgia, being the weakest state and abounding in 
provisions, became the first object of their aim. But va- 
rious causes conspired to delay the execution of their plan, 
till near the close of 1778. General Clinton sent between 
two and three thousand men, under Campbell, to attack 
Savannah. General Howe, the principal American officer 
in that region, made a spirited and manly defence with one 
thousand men, and from his favorable position might per- 
haps have secured the advantage of the day, if a negro had 
not discovered to the enemy a by-path, by which they 
gained his rear. When Howe discovered this movement, 
he ordered his men to retreat. The British pursued them, 
and killed more than a hundred and took four hundred 
and fifty prisoners, besides several pieces of cannon, the fort, 
stores and shipping. This battle was on the 28th of De- 
cember. About the same time, Prevost, the British com- 
mander in Florida, marched into Georgia, taking possession 
on his way of the garrison at Sunbury. 

The British had supposed a great portion of the people 
in the south were friendly to them, and that they should be 
able to possess themselves of the whole territory with but 

Where did Washington retire to spend the winter ? 

What part of the designs of the British in this campaign were prin- 
cipally left to be accomplished next year ? 

What southern state did the British attack this year ? 

How many British troops besieged Savannah ? 

(4. 2) In what part of Georgia is Savannah ? Which way from 
Charleston ? Under whom ? 

How large was the American array for its defence ? 

Under whom ? Which party gained the advantage ? Why ? 

What was the American loss ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 251 

Fate of General Ashe and his troops. 

little trouble. But in this they were mistaken. Though 
fear might induce many to seek safety from British power, 
few only were at heart favorablis to the enemy. 

Port Eoyal in South Carolina was next attacked, but the 
British were repulsed with a severe loss. 

Various efforts were now made to induce the people of 
Georgia to join the English. Some did declare for the 
mother country, and marched toward the British camp, 
pillaging, burning and murdering on their way. They 
were commanded by Colonel Boyd, but were met by a body 
of Carolina militia before they arrived at the camp. They 
were repulsed, many killed, and others taken prisoners. 
Seventy-six of the latter were condemned to death, but all 
except five were afterwards pardoned. General Lincoln, 
commander of the southern provincial army, arrived at 
Charleston and took command of the troops. He fixed an 
encampment on the north side of Savannah river, at Black 
Swamp, and another opposite to Augusta. Lincoln de- 
tached two thousand men, under General Ashe, to take pos- 
session of an advantageous post on Brier creek. He was, 
however, surprised by a detachment of the British on the 
3d of March. Many of his troops fled, and others were 
unable to make a successful defence. The whole Ameri- 
can loss was fifteen or sixteen hundred. The people of 
Carolina, far from being disheartened by this disaster, made 
successful efforts to increase their strength, and nearly 
three thousand troops soon joined the army. Lincoln again 
formed the design of recovering Georgia, and marched with 
the principal part of his army toward Savannah. The 

What next attack ? "With what success ? 

"What efforts made by the English ? "With what success ? 

Who were under the command of Colonel Boyd ? By whom met ? 

How many were killed ? How many taken prisoners ? 

How many of them were condemned to death ? 

How many of the condemned afterward pardoned ? 

What troops were under command of General Lincoln ? 

Where did he encamp ? (4) Where is Black Swamp ? 

Which way from Augusta ? 

To what place did he detach General Ashe ? 

When was the battle at Brier Creek ? For what purpose ? 

With what success ? What the whole loss of the Americans ? 

What efforts made at this juncture by the Carolinians ? 

The result ? What design formed by Lincoln ? 

Toward what place did he march ? 



252 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Battles at Stony Point and several places in Connecticut. 

British, seized the opportunity to march, for Charleston. 
The army left at Black Swamp by Lincoln, under General 
Moultrie, was defeated, and the victorious royalists soon 
appeared before the city, which was not prepared to sustain a 
siege. Lincoln soon returned, and, after an indecisive battle, 
the enemy retired to Savannah. In May, General Clinton 
sent two thousand men to join the British in Georgia, after 
making a descent on Virginia. These troops burned sev- 
eral towns in Virginia, " demolished magazines, and took 
large quantities of provisions." They found the Virgini- 
ans not disposed to join the royalists, and were soon after 
recalled to New York. 

The Americans, having fortified Stony Point, on the 
Hudson, were attacked by Clinton on the 1st of June. 
The garrison retired, not being prepared for defence. A 
few days after he took Fort La Fayette, which was very 
near. On the 5th of July, a detachment of the British, 
having been sent into Connecticut, attacked New Haven 
and destroyed the shipping. Fairfield, Norwalk and 
Greenwich, in the same state, were reduced to ashes, and 
other inhuman barbarities were committed. The loss of 
private property was great, while hundreds of families were 
left houseless, to the everlasting shame of those who con- 
ducted the attack. 

During the time these depredations were committed in 
Connecticut, the Americans were engaged in retaking 
Stony Point, which surrendered on the 15th of July. The 
British lost six hundred men, and the Americans only one 
hundred. Washington destroyed the fort and retired from 
it while Clinton was on his way to attempt its recapture. 

What did the British do ? 

What happened to the army left at Black Swamp ? 

What did the royal army do after the return of Lincoln ? 

What did Lincoln do in May ? What was done by these troops ? 

What did they do on finding the Virginians indisposed to join the 
royalists ? When was the battle at Stony Point ? 

What the result ? What fort taken ? 

When did the British attack New Haven and other places in Con- 
necticut ? What towns were reduced to ashes ? 

(3) In what part of the state are they ? 

What the loss of private property and sufferings of families ? 

When was Stony Point retaken by the Americans ? 

What loss on the part of the British ? Americans ? 

Wliat did Washington do while Clinton was advancing ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 



Indians.' D'Estaigne at Savannah. Naval Laities. 

An attempt was made during the same month, by the 
troops from Massachusetts, to reduce the British post on 
the Penobscot river, but failed by the dilatory movements 
of the commanders. On hearing of their intentions, a 
squadron was sent by Clinton, which took and destroyed 
most of the transports, while the men escaped by fleeing to 
the shore. 

In August, an important action between General Sulli- 
van, and the tories and Indians in Georgia, resulted in the 
entire destruction of forty Indian villages. The Indians of 
these Six Nations were so disheartened, that they made no 
further efforts. Sullivan afterwards encamped at Easton, 
Pennsylvania. 

D'Estaigne had, till August, remained with the French 
fleet in the West Indies. He returned at this time, and, 
in conjunction with Washington, meditated an attack on 
New York ; but afterwards it was determined to attack 
Savannah, the head quarters of the British at the south. 
This, commencing on the 3d of October and continuing till 
the ioth, proved unfortunate ; the peaceful inhabitants being 
made to suffer greatly, while the fort was not injured. 
The loss of the French was seven hundred, and the loss 
of the colonists four hundred, while the English suffered 
but little. A most valuable French officer. Count Pulaski, 
fell in the engagement. 

Sir Henry Clinton, fearing a visit from the French fleet, 
and considering his situation insecure, suddenly removed 
his troops from Rhode Island to New York. 

Several engagements occurred at sea during this cam- 
paign, one of which deserves a passing notice. Paul Jones, 
commanding a small fleet, was attacked by Captain Pear- 

What attempt made by the Americans soon after ? 

With what success ? Why ? 

When was an expedition against the Six Nations ? 

What did Clinton do on learning their intentions ? What success ? 

What important action in August ? Result ? Effect upon the 

Indians ? Where did Sullivan afterwards encamp ? 
How long did D'Estaigne remain in the West Indies ? 
What attack ? Who acted in conjunction with Washington ? 
With what success ? Effect upon the inhabitants ? 
Loss of the French ? English ? 

Where did Clinton suddenly remove his troops ? Why ? 
What naval engagements during this campaign ? 
22 



254 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Gloomy prospects. Keuru of ihe French. Cnarlesirn. 

son, who had under his charge several ships. Pearson 
lost three hundred out of three hundred and seventy-five 
in his ship, and the loss of life in Jones' ship was also very 
great, though he was victorious. He established a charac- 
ter for bravery not exceeded by any one during the revo- 
lutionary war. 

Various things now rendered the c'ause of the colonies 
•exceedingly dark. The paper money issued by congress 
was extensively counterfeited by the British, and depre- 
ciated in value. In 1777, three dollars of it were worth 
only one dollar of silver; in 1778, its value was about six 
for one ; in 1779, twenty-eight for one ; in 1780, fifty or 
sixty for one ; and finally it fell to one hundred and fifty for 
one. Base speculators feasted on the spoils of their coun- 
try, and made merchandise of her necessities. 

The French squadron sailed for France. Little benefit 
had been received by its aid, and very many, who loved 
their country, were exceedingly disheartened. 

The British had been reinforced by a detachment under 
Admiral Arbuthnot, Clinton proceeded to Syher Island in 
the vicinity of Charleston, with seven thousand men, in the 
latter part of December. There was no sufficient power 
in that quarter to oppose him successfully. It seemed, 
indeed, that the colonists must give over the struggle, and 
submit at discretion. But no. The God of armies sus- 
tained their sinking spirits, and efforts were renewed to 
prepare for the campaign of the following year. 

The English were fearful of a rupture with the nations 
of Europe, who had combined together to maintain an 
armed neutrahty. This was advantageous to the Ameri- 
cans, as it checked the efforts of their enemy for a time, 
though it produced no alteration in the policy of those na- 
tions toward the United States. 

What the loss of Captain Pearson ? In Jones' ship ? 
Which was victorious ? What the character of Jones ? 
What circumstances at this time darkened the prospects of the colo- 
nists ? When did the French squadron embark for France ? 
What benefit had been derived from it ? 
What reinforcement to the English troops ? 
Where did Clinton go ? With how many troops ? 
What the condition of the colonists in that quarter? 
What fear enterta;ined by the English at this time ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 255 

Lethargy. Ita cau ses. 

Although the campaign of this year exhibited instances 
of great military bravery and skill, yet it was principally 
distinguished by the general lethargy of the American 
people. This may be ascribed to various causes. The 
depreciation of the paper currency, already noticed, tended 
to produce this effect, especially with those who were 
actuated by mercenary motives. Even such as were 
actuated by a true love of liberty and by the justice of 
their cause, could not make the personal sacrifice necessary 
in order to continue in the service of their country without 
distressing their families; for their hard-earned wages 
were not sufficient to support their wives and children. 
Flence many in moderate circumstances of life felt obliged 
to abandon the service of their country and provide for 
their own households. 

Much aid had been anticipated from the French fleet. 
Expectation, in the minds of some, had risen so high before 
its arrival as to induce the belief that it would at once break 
the arm of the oppressor and let the oppressed go free. 
Their disappointment by its failure at the siege of Newport, 
and by the expense incurred in refitting it at Boston after 
its return from the chase of the British fleet, tended also to 
paralyze exertion. Doubtless its aid was undervalued ; 
for if it did not secure all the advantages which were ex- 
pected, it diverted in a measure the attention of the British 
from their main object, and secured other important and 
valuable results. These, with the increased boldness of 
the royalists and tories in the country, were the principal 
causes which produced torpor in the public mind. It 
seemed, " for a time, doubtful whether the Americans were 
to be independent citizens, or conquered subjects" and 
slaves. Indeed, these times of darkness were such, that 
the most confident feared and the fearful were ready to 
give up all in despair. Yet all these feelings were even- 
tually overruled for good. The darkest hour often just 

For what was the campaign of 1779 principally distinguished ? 
On whom especially did the reduction of the paper currency pro- 
duce this effect ? How did it influence some others ? 
What expectation had existed in regard to the French fleet ? 
Was it realized ? What was the effect of this disappointment ? 
What influence had the increase of the number of tories ? 
What; at this time, appeared doubtful ? 



256 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Siese of Charleston. 



precedes the dawn. This was verified before the close of 
the two following campaigns, though the first seemed to 
increase the darkness. 



SECTION VI. 

From 1780 to the close of the war. 

We have already noticed the arrival of Clinton near 
Charleston before the close of 1779. During the winter 
little was attempted by the enemy, but on the first of April 
Clinton commenced a regular siege. General Hager was 
posted at Monk's Corner, but was attacked by a detach- 
ment of the British and obliged to abandon the post. The 
British now approached nearer the city with an army supe- 
rior to that under Lincoln. Clinton was confident of suc- 
cess. Fort Moultrie, after a manful resistance, was taken 
on the 7th of May. Weakened by this loss, the situation 
of Lincoln was becoming daily more trying. The inhabi- 
tants suffered severely from the besiegers. Aid from the 
north could not be obtained, and protracted resistance under 
these circumstances could have been only a waste of human 
life. On the 12th of May, 1780, Charleston fell into the 
hands of the enemy. General Lincoln and his w^hole 
army were made prisoners. Seven generals, ten regi- 
ments, consisting of about two thousand five hundred 
men, besides the males of the city, four frigates, and 
about four hundred pieces of artillery, were thus lost to 
the colonies. 

This disaster, distressing as it was, did not come alone. 
Encouraged by this success, Clinton immediately planned 
expeditions against posts still held by Americans in differ- 
ent parts of the country. 

Colonel Burford had under his command a small body 
of three or four hundred men, and attempted to escape the 

What did Clinton do in April ? What surrender on May -7th ? 
When did Charleston surrender ? How many taken prisoners ? 
How many frigates taken ? How many pieces of artillery ? 
What other expedition was planned by Clinton ? 
With what success ? How many troops had Colonel Burford 
under his command ? 



AMERICAN EE VOLUTION. 25t 

Capture of S. C. and Ga. Attack on Morristown and Springfield. 

British by rapid marches ; but Clinton despatched Colonel 
Tarlton in pursuit of him. He was overtaken and defeated 
at Wacsaw, on the 28th of May, and those of his men who 
offered to surrender were unmercifully butchered by the 
British. 

There being now no force of any considerable power to 
oppose him, General Chnton considered South Carolina as 
restored to the British ; and indeed many of the people 
flocked to his standard. The fort called Ninety-six surren- 
dered to his arms, and Savannah in Georgia was also taken. 

The army of General Washington was in a very weak 
condition during the time that Clinton was at the south, 
and though New York might have been taken with a force 
less than that which Washington had often commanded, 
yet he did not dare to make the attempt. 

General Knyphausen, who commanded at New York in 
the absence of Clinton, used considerable exertion to lead 
Washington from his intrenchments at Morristown, but 
without effect. On the 23d of June he burnt Springfield, 
just after a skirmish between his troops and those under 
General Greene, whom Washington had sent to watch his 
motions. The inhabitants were aroused by this act of 
barbarity, and flocked together in such numbers that the 
enemy were soon forced to return to New York. 

After establishing a government for Carolina, General 
Clinton returned to the north, leaving Lord Cornwallis to 
command the southern army. For a short time little effort 
was made by the whigs of Carolina; a few had indeed 

What was their fate ? 

How were those treated who offered to surrender ? 

What opinion was entertained by CUnton with regard to South 

Carolina ? Why ? What fort surrendered ? 
(4) Where is it ? VVhat other fort surrendered ? 
What was the condition of Washington's army while Clinton was 

at the south ? 
Who commanded at New York in the absence of Clinton ? 
What place was burnt by him ? When ? 

What did he strive to make Washington do ? Was he successful ? 
What were the enemy forced to do ? Why ? 
Where did Clinton retire, after having established a government for 

Carolina ? 
Whom did he leave to command the southern army ? 
22=5^ 



258 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Sumpier. Generals Gates a.'.d Cornwallis. Camden. Effects of this defeat. 

fled to North Carolina, among whom was Colonel Sump- 
ter, whose bravery and address soon made him conspicu- 
ous. He took the field with but few followers, and these 
poorly provided with ammunition, against the victorious 
army, and performed some striking feats of valor, which 
rekindled the hopes of the patriots at the south, and dispel- 
led the gloom occasioned by their recent losses. On the 
12th of July, he routed a British detachment at William's 
plantation ; and soon after he attacked a regiment posted at 
a place called Hanging Kock, and defeated a large body of 
royalists at the same place. 

During this time an army under General Gates was 
marching to the relief of the south, with the Maryland and 
Delaware troops. Lord Ravi^don, who commanded the 
frontiers of Carolina, concentrated his troops at Camden. 
Gates encamped fifteen miles distant, and receiving acces- 
sion from the conquered provinces and other places, soon 
had an army of four thousand. Three fourths* of these 
were militia. Hearing of the position of Gates, Cornwallis 
hastened to the aid of Rawdon. 

Immediate preparations were made to attack Gates, 
This Avas done on the 16th of August. Both armies were 
marching to attack each other, and unexpectedly met dur- 
ing the night. The militia from Virginia, at the first onset, 
threw down their arms and fled, and those from North 
Carolina followed the example. This occasioned a heavy 
defeat. The British took about three hundred wounded 
prisoners, all the artillery and baggage of the Americans, 
and about two hundred wagons. General Gregory and 
the brave Baron de Kalb fell in this battle. 

The circumstances of the Americans after this painful 
defeat became more distressing. Great confidence had 
been felt that the hero of Saratoga would soon put a dif- 
ferent face on the condition of the south. This he might 

What served to enkindle the hopes of the patriots of the south ? 
What happened on the 12th of July ? What soon after ? 
What was doing at this time for the relief of the south ? 
Who commanded the frontiers of Carolina ? 

Where did he concentrate his troops ? Where did Gates encamp ? 
What accession did he receive ? How large his army ? 
When was the battle near Camden ? (4) Where is that town ? 
What the circumstances of the Americans after this defeat ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 2^ 

Arno ld's treachery. Major Andre. Its deiection. Ferg uson in the south. 

have done with troops on which he could depend. But, in 
the circumstances in which he was placed, no blame could 
be justly attached to him. Still, confidence in his skill 
was shaken, and he was soon after succeeded by General 
Greene. 

Several events, beside those we have already noticed, 
occurred at the north during this year. 

General Arnold, who was taken prisoner in the early 
part of the war, having been exchanged, was again 
restored to the army. His love of money led him to 
dishonest acts, for which he had been reproved by Wash- 
ington. Offended at this, he formed the base design of 
delivering the fortress at West Point to the British. In 
consideration of four thousand pounds and the office of 
brigadier general in the British service, he turned traitor 
to the cause he had espoused. This treason was acciden- 
tally discovered on the 22d of September. 

Major Andre, a talented and amiable young British offi- 
cer, was associated with him in preparing for the execution 
of the plan. He was detected while passing between the 
armies. Mistaking an American for a British soldier, he 
betrayed himself, and was taken and condemned as a spy, 
while Arnold, the betrayer of his country, escaped to the 
British. Major Andre was executed on the 2d of October. 
Great efforts were made to take Arnold, but without effect. 
He afterwards basely fought for the British against his 
country, and developed cruelties at which Nero might have 
blushed. Those who were willing to profit by his treason 
could not but detest the baseness of his character and the 
turpitude of his crimes. His name is stamped with ever- 
lasting INFAMY. 

Major Ferguson, who had been sent by Cornwallis into 
North Carolina, exhibited extreme barbarity, and excited 
the highest indignation of the inhabitants. Having taken 
post on King's mountain, he was attacked by a body of 

By whom was Gates succeeded ? Why ? 

What act of treason perpetrated this year ? 

When was the treachery of Arnold discovered ? By whom ? 

Why ? With what success ? Who was associated with him ? 

What was the fate of Andre ? 

How was he detected ? What became of Arnold ? 

What battle occurred in North Carolina ? (4) Where is it ? 



260 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Efforts of Morris and Franklin. 



Americans and defeated, with the loss of between two 
and three hundred killed and eight hundred prisoners. 
He fell during the battle. Toward the close of this year, 
Arnold was despatched to the Chesapeake with fifty trans- 
ports and fifteen hundred men, where he displayed his true 
character by laying waste the country and butchering the 
inhabitants. This year terminated without securing any 
very important advantages ; while the Americans sustained 
several severe losses. Still they discovered no inclination 
to put an end to the war by submitting to British authority. 

Great preparations were made by the British for the 
following campaign. A large reinforcement was ordered 
to the aid of Cornwallis. The hope was strong that this 
would enable him to complete the conquest of the south, and 
prepare for the entire subjugation of the colonies. At the 
commencement of the year 1781, the circumstances of the 
Americans were most trying. It seemed, indeed, that the 
ruin of their hopes was near. But for the manifest interpo- 
sitions of Providence, these fears must have been realized. 

During this season of darkness and distress, Eobert 
Morris was devoting his purse, his credit and himself to 
the promotion of his country's cause. He induced con- 
gress to establish a national bank, by means of which 
they availed themselves of the funds of the wealthy. He 
also made use of his own credit to relieve the poverty 
and distress of the country. Bills signed by him, (for the 
credit of government had failed,) were in circulation to the 
amount of five hundred eighty-one thousand dollars. His 
efforts as financier were indefatigable, and had the most 
salutary effect. Equally successful were the efforts of Dr. 
Franklin at the court of France. He induced Louis XVI. 

Who was victorious ? 

How many of the EngUsh were killed and wounded ? 

To what place was Arnold despatched ? What did he do ? 

What preparations were made by the British for the next campaign ? 

What was the condition of the Americans at the commencement of 

1781 ? What their fears ? 
What was Eobert Morris doing at this time ? 
What was he the means of establishing ? 
Of what did he make use to relieve the public distress ? 
To how large an amount did he sign bills ? 
What of his efforts as financier ? 
What the success of Franklin at the court of France ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Ml 

Disaffection of the troops. Greene succeeds Gates. 



to give the American government six millions of livres ; 
and on the guaranty of the French monarch, he obtained 
from Holland the loan of ten millions more. Before the 
arrival of this timely aid, the poverty of congress v^^as such 
as to threaten the most fatal consequences. Paper currency 
had depreciated. To increase this evil, England had sent 
over additional chests of counterfeit bills, so nearly resem- 
bling those issued by the American government that they 
easily passed for true. Congress was, at length, obliged 
to yield to the pressure of circumstances and to declare 
that the paper money should pass for what it would bring, 
and not for its nominal value. 

In January, the whole Pennsylvania line, amounting to 
near fifteen hundred men, pressed with the extremity of 
want, revolted ; they were with difficulty restored to duty 
and order. They were soon followed in their revolt by the 
troops of New Jersey, who yielded, however, to a powerful 
force sent against them by Washington, and returned to 
duty. During these disturbances, Clinton made every 
effort to entice the mutineers into the British service. For 
this purpose he sent messengers to them with liberal of- 
fers ; but the mutineers, instead of listening to their propo- 
sals, delivered them up to General "Wayne as spies. 

Soon after General Greene succeeded General Gates in 
the command of the southern army, he despatched General 
Morgan with a body of forces to the borders of South 
Carolina. With the remainder of his army he proceeded 
toward the river Pedee. 

Cornwallis would not proceed toward Greene while an 
army v^^as in his rear, and therefore sent Colonel Tarlton 
to attack General Morgan. They met at a place called 

How much did he obtain from Louis XVI. ? 

How much from Holland ? On whose security ? 

What the situation of the public before this aid arrived ? Why ? 

What was congress obliged to do in these circumstances ? 

When did Pennsylvania and New Jersey troops revolt ? 

What the efforts of Clinton ? 

(4) Describe the Pedee. 

Who succeeded General Gates in command of the southern army I 

Whom did he despatch to South Carolina ? 

Where did he proceed with the rest of his army ? 

What did Cornwallis do in the mean time ? 

Whom did he detach against Morgan ? 



262 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Battle of Cowpens. General Greene in the south. 

Cowpens, on the 17th of January, and Tarlton rushed to 
the attack with his usual celerity, but not with his wonted 
success. After a bloody engagement, the Americans were 
victorious. This victory was greatly beneficial in arousing 
the energies and hopes of the Americans, after their re- 
peated misfortunes. The loss of the English amounted to 
three hundred killed and wounded, but that of the Ameri- 
cans was but twelve killed and sixty wounded. Five hun- 
dred prisoners and all the baggage and artillery of the 
enemy fell into the hands of Colonel Morgan. 

Soon after this engagement, Colonel Morgan proceeded 
to Virginia to join General Greene. But Cornwallis, mor- 
tified at the victory which the Americans had gained over 
his favorite officer, pursued Morgan with the intention of 
retaking the prisoners, and of preventing him from joining 
Greene. He then intended to attack and cut off the de- 
tachment under Greene. Both Morgan and Cornwallis 
hastened toward the Catawba. Morgan arrived there first, 
and had passed the river about two hours, when the enemy 
appeared on the opposite bank. Here, night coming on, the 
British commander was obliged to defer crossing till the 
next morning. But a heavy rain falling during the night 
rendered the ford impassable, and thus detained him for 
three days. During this time, Greene, anxious for the fate 
of Morgan's troops, left his army under the command of 
General Hager, to pass the waters where they were forda- 
ble, and with a few attendants hastened to join Morgan. 
Greene, having taken the command of Morgan's troops, 
prosecuted his march with the enemy in his rear. He 
arrived at the Yadkin, which he had just crossed, when the 
British reached it. Again the waters of the river rose to 
such a height as to arrest Cornwallis in his career, and 

"When was the battle at Cowpens ? 

(4) Y/here is that place ? 

What the loss of the English ? Of the Americans ? 

What did Colonel Morgan take ? Where did he soon go ? 

For what object ? What was done by Cornwallis ? 

With what intention ? What did both do ? Who got there first ? 

How soon did the enemy appear on the opposite bank ? 

How long was he detained from crossing ? 

What did Greene do ? Why ? 

What was afterwards done i" When did the British arrive ? 

What hindered them from passing? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 263 

Battle at Guilford court-house. Battle near Camden. 

within sight of his prize. Thus did a watchful Providence 
stay the course of the enemjr, and hold him in check till 
pursuit was vain. General Greene safely formed a junc- 
tion with General Hager at Guilford court-house. 

Cornvt^allis now hastened to the Dan, to intercept the 
passage of the Americans into Virginia ; but the Ameri- 
cans crossed it, still leaving the enemy in the rear. Here, 
reinforced by a number of continental troops and several 
regiments of militia, Greene found his army increased to 
about six thousand, and no longer wished to avoid the ene- 
my. He met the British on the 15th of March. The 
Americans, after fighting bravely for an hour and a half 
with various success, were obliged to retreat; but it was in 
good order. The loss of the Americans was thirteen hun- 
dred men ; that of the British was greater. Greene re- 
treated ten miles from the field of battle. But Cornwallis 
also found it necessary, in consequence of his losses, to 
retreat. He marched to Petersburg, and left the Carolina 
forces to the command of Lord Rawdon, a young man of 
talents and military skill. 

The Americans soon pursued the retreating army. 
General Greene intrenched himself within a short distance 
from Camden, with a view of annoying the enemy. Here 
he was attacked by Rawdon. The battle was severe. The 
royal troops at first gave way ; but afterwards the Ameri- 
cans retreated. Their loss in killed, wounded and missing, 
was two hundred and sixty-eight; that of the English 
about the same. But this, in its effects, was rather a de- 
feat than a victory to Rawdon, for he was soon obliged to 
evacuate Camden and retreat before his conquered foe. 
Forts Motte, Watson, and Georgetown soon after surren- 
dered to the Americans, in which were eight hundred 
prisoners and some military stores. 

What did Greene do ? How large was his army ? 

By whom reinforced ? When was the battle at Guillord ? 

(4) Where is Guilford ? Final result ? Loss of the Americans? 

Of the British ? Where did Cornwallis proceed next ? 

Under whose command did he leave the Carolina forces ? 

What happened near Camden ? The result ? 

Loss of the Americans ? 

Of the British ? What was Rawdon obliged to do ? 

What forts soon after surrendered to the Americans ? 

How many prisoners in them ? 



264 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Battle of Eiitaw Springs. Clinton at New York. 

The next battle of consequence occurred at the Eutaw 
Springs, on the 8th of September. General Greene ar- 
ranged his forces with great skill and commenced the ac- 
tion. Both the English and Americans evinced in this 
engagement the greatest bravery, and it was one of the 
most bloody battles fought during the war of the revolution. 
After displaying great valor, the British were forced to re- 
tire from the field; but betaking themselves to a large 
house for shelter from the fire of the enemy, they repulsed 
the Americans, with great loss. General Greene, finding 
it impracticable to dislodge the English from their position, 
retired, with five hundred of the enemy whom he had taken 
prisoners. The loss of the Americans in this engagement 
was six hundred ; that of the British not far from a thou- 
sand. The thanks of congress were presented to General 
Greene, with a conquered standard and a gold medal. 
This was the last important battle fought at the south. 

While these events were taking place at the south, 
Washington was in the vicinity of New York. Expecting 
a French fleet and a reinforcement by land, he was anxious 
to avail himself of the strength this would give him to 
strike some decisive blow. He decided, with the advice 
of Rochambeau, the French commander, to attack New 
York, the head quarters of Clinton. But disappointed in 
his expected recruits, and learning that De Grasse, the ex- 
pected French admiral, would not be able to remain on the 
American coast longer than till October, and that he must 
visit the Chesapeake before the expiration of that time, 
Washington suddenly changed his plan and turned his 
attention to the capture of Cornwallis. He made every 
show of being about to attack New York, lest Clinton 
should discover his intentions and aid Cornwallis; then 
suddenly crossing the Hudson, allowed the report to be 
circulated that this was merely a device to induce Clinton 
to leave his fortifications, that he might attack him in the 
open field. 

When was the battle at Eutaw Springs ? (4) Where are they ? 

What other battle ? Which army was victorious ? 

What the whole loss of British ? Of Americans ? 

Upon what did Washington decide at this time ? 

Why ? With advice of whom ? 

Why did he change his intention ? What new plan did he form? 

Did he make this plan public ? Why ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 265 

Siege of Yorktown. 

The same day (August 25th) that Washington arrived 
at the northern extremity of the Chesapeake, Count de 
Grasse entered the bay with twenty-five sail of the line 
and immediately blocked up the mouths of the York and 
James rivers ; thus cutting off all communication between 
the British under Cornwallis at Yorktown and those under 
Clinton at New York. The 14th of September, Wash- 
ington joined La Fayette at Williamsburg, a few miles 
above Yorktown, on York river. 

The force here under La Fayette was small, and fears 
were entertained by the allied armies that Cornwallis, see- 
ing the difficulties with which he was surrounded, would 
leave Yorktown and make an attack upon the Americans 
at this place. To prevent the success of any such attempt, 
three thousand light troops under the command of the 
Marquis de St. Simon were sent up the river as a rein- 
forcement. 

Cornwallis, having taken possession of Yorktown Au- 
gust 23d, had thrown up intrenchments and made his 
works so strong that there was no hope of taking him in 
any other way than by a regular siege- For this purpose 
the allies were in want of heavy ordnance and other neces- 
sary preparations. These were expected from Rhode 
Island, as they had been consigned to the Count de Bar- 
rass, commander of the French fleet. 

On the 5th of September, a British squadron of nineteen 
sail under Admiral Greaves appeared off the capes. Count 
de Grasse, expecting de Barrass to be near the coast, par- 
tially engaged the British fleet and drew them from their 
anchorage, but declined a general action. Meanwhile 
Count de Barrass entered the Chesapeake with the neces- 

When did "Washington arrive at the Chesapeake ? 
When did De Grasse enter it ? With what force ? 
What rivers did he block up ? Why ? 

Who joined Washington at Williamsburg ? (14) Where is that ? 
Why did Washington send him a reinforcement ? 
When did Cornwallis enter Yorktown ? 
What rendered a regular siege necessary ? 
What did the Americans need for such a siege ? 
From what place did they expect aid ? 
When did Greaves appear ? With what force ? 
How did De Grasse avoid a seneral action? 
Who entered the Chesapeake at that time ? 
23 



266 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Siege (pf Yorklown. 



sary preparations for the siege. Cornwallis found means 
to communicate with General Clinton and to represent 
to him his situation. 

With the hope of drawing away a part of the forces 
which threatened Cornwallis, Clinton sent the traitor Ar- 
nold on an expedition against New London in Connecticut. 
Having laid that place in ashes, and inhumanly butch- 
ered the garrison at Forts Trumbull and Griswold, the 
victor returned to New York without inducing Washington 
to leave his post at the south. 

The French commander, having stationed his fleet near 
the mouths of James and York rivers, disembarked the last 
division of his troops near Williamsburg on the 25th of 
September. All things were ready to commence opera- 
tions. Yorktown is situated on the southern shore of 
York river. This river was deep, and the banks on the 
south shore high. Directly opposite Yorktown is Glouces- 
ter point, projecting into the river, and " narrowing it, at 
that place, to the space of one mile." 

The main body of the British army under Cornwallis 
occupied the open ground in the vicinity of Yorktown, pro- 
tected by their outworks and batteries. Lieutenant Colo- 
nel Dundass M-ith six hundred men held the post at Glou- 
cester point, and the fleet lay in the river between. 

Preparations for the siege being completed, on the 28th, 
the allied armies of France and America left Williamsburg 
and moved down the south side of the river. About noon 
the heads of the columns arrived within two miles of the 
British, who made some show of resistance. But Count 
de Rochambeau, who commanded the left wing, where the 
opposition was made, gave them a few rounds from his 
artillery and they retreated within their works, and the 
army encamped for the night. " The legion of Lauzien 

Why did Clinton send Arnold to New London ? 

Did he accomplish his object ? 

(4 &; 14) How is Yoiktown situated? 

What town is opposite to it ? How far from u ? 

What ground did the British occupy ? 

What did Colonel Dundass ? 

Vv here was the fleet ? 

Who drove the British within their works ? 

ViTiere was he stationed? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 267 

Siege of Yorktown. 

and a brigade of Virginia militia under General Weedon, 
the whole commanded by the French General de Choise," 
were directed to take their station in the vicinity of Glouces- 
ter point, on the opposite shore. On the 29th, the Ameri- 
can troops, forming the right wing of the combined army, 
took their station in front of the works on the left, east of 
Beaver Dam creek ; and the left wing, composed of the 
French, occupied the ground west of that creek. A 
small fire was kept up during the day between our rifle- 
men and some of the light troops of the enemy. Corn- 
wallis during the night of the 29th abandoned all his out- 
works, (see map XIV, a,) and drew his army mostly within 
the fortifications of Yorktown. This was done with the 
expectation of receiving immediate aid from Clinton. 

The next morning, September 30th, the besieging army 
took possession of these works, and thus the town was 
completely invested on the south side. Two thousand men 
were also sent to reinforce the troops at Gloucester point, a 
post which had already been reinforced by the British un- 
der Tarleton, and thus the blockade and investment was 
complete save York river on the west. To complete that 
part, General Washington requested the Count de Grasse 
to push a ship or two above the town ; but the Count de- 
clined doing it, as it would, in his view, endanger his fleet 
by exposing it to the fire-ships of the enemy. 

The besieging army were occupied till the 6th of October 
" in disembarking their heavy artillery and military stores, 
and drawing them to the camp." On the night of the 6th 
they commenced the first parallel at six hundred yards' 
distance from Cornwallis' works. The night being rainy 
and dark, the operations were conducted with so much se- 
crecy that the enemy did not perceive them till daylight the 

Who were stationed on Gloucester Point? 

(14) Which way is that from Yorktown ? 

(14) How were the troops situated and engaged during the 29th ? 

What did Cornwallis do on the night of the 29th ? Why ? 

How were they situated on the 30th ? 

Why did Count de Grasse decline obeying the orders of Washington ? 

How were his men occupied till the 6th of October ? 

How that night ? 

Distance of the first parallel from Cornwallis ? 

(14) In what direction did it extend? 

How did the night favor their work ? | 



268 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



JSie^e of Yorktown. 



next morning, when the redoubts were in such forwardness 
as to protect the troops from their fire. " The 7th and 8th 
were employed in completing the first parallel and in erect- 
ing batteries in advance of it." 

On the 9th, at five o'clock, P. M., the American battery 
on the right (c) opened a heavy fire with six eighteen and 
twenty-four pounders, two mortars, and two howitzers ; and 
at three o'clock the following night the French, on the 
left, opened a battery {d) of four twelve pounders and six 
mortars and howitzers. The fire continued without inter- 
mission during the night and a part of the next day, and 
the succeeding night, during which the Charon of forty-four 
guns and three transport ships were set on fire and burnt 
by one of the French shells. " The following morning the 
enemy's other guard ship was fired by one of the American 
shells and consumed." 

On the night of the 11th, the second parallel was opened 
at three hundred yards distance from the enemy's lines, 
and the three following days were occupied in completing 
this parallel, during which the fire from the enemy's new 
batteries (e,/) was more destructive than at any previous 
time. 

An attempt was made on the night of the 14th to carry 
these batteries by storm; and, to excite a spirit of emula- 
tion between the French and American troops, the follow- 
ing disposition was made. The redoubt on the extreme 
left was assigned to the American light infantry (o) under 
La Fayette, and the other, (u) near the centre, to the French 
grenadiers and chasseurs under Major General the Baron 
Viomenil. 

" At dark the men marched to the assault with unloaded 
arms, in accordance with the direction of Washington, who 

How forward was it the next morning ? 

How were the 7th and 8th days occupied ? 

At what time on the 9th did they open their batteries on the right ? 

On the left ? 

(14) In what direction was the right from the left ? 

How long did the fire contmue ? 

When was the second parallel opened ? 

How long before it was completed ? 

How were they annoyed ? 

What attempt was made on the night of the 14th? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 269 

Siege of Yorktown. 

enjoined the troops, in case they should meet the enemy, 
to place their principal reliance on the bayonet, that they 
might prove the vanity of the boast which the British made 
of their peculiar prowess in deciding battles with that 
weapon.'''' Colonel Hamilton led the advanced corps of the 
Americans, and Colonel Laurens, with eighty men, was 
stationed to intercept the retreat of the enemy, and enter 
the works on the rear. The troops rushed to the attack on 
all sides, and without firing a gun, passed the abatis and 
palisades, carrying every thing at the point of the bayonet. 
In a few minutes they look the garrison, " with the loss of 
eight killed and twenty-eight wounded." The French 
were equally successful, but the resistance being greater 
they suffered more severely. Nearly one hundred men 
were killed and wounded. 

A little before daybreak, on the morning of the 16th, 
Cornwallis ordered Lieutenant Colonel Abercromby, " with 
four hundred men, to attack two batteries which appeared 
to be in the greatest forwardness, and to spike the guns. 
Two detachments were appointed to the service ; and both 
attacks were made with such impetuosity, that the redoubts 
which covered the batteries were forced, and eleven pieces 
of cannon spiked. The French troops, who had the guard 
of that part of the intrenchment, suffered considerably ; but 
the cannon being hastily spiked, were soon rendered 
serviceable. The combined forces were so industrious, 
that they finished their batteries and opened them about 
four o'clock in the afternoon, and fired briskly. Their sev- 
eral batteries were now covered with nearly one hundred 
pieces of heavy ordnance ; and the British works were so 
destroyed, that they could scarcely show a single gun. 
Thus was Lord Cornwallis reduced to the necessity of pre- 
paring for a surrender, or of attempting an escape. He de- 
termined upon the latter. But this attempt was frus- 

What direction did Washington give them ? 

Who led? 

Who was to enter on the rear ? 

What was the success of each ? 

What the loss of each ? 

What attack on the morning the 16th ? With what success ? 

What at four o'clock P. M. ? 

To what alternative was Cornwallis reduced ? 

What did he attempt ? 

23^ 



270 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Sieffe of Yorktown. 



trated by a sudden storm, which drove the boats to be em- 
ployed for this purpose down the river. 

The affairs of the British were now approaching a crisis. 
Their works were sinking under the weight of the Ameri- 
can and French artillery. The continuance of the allied 
fire but for a few hours longer, would reduce them to such 
a condition that it would be rashness to attempt their de- 
fence. The time for expecting relief from New York was 
elapsed. The strength and spirit of the royal troops were 
worn down by constant watching, and unremitted fatigue. 
Lord Cornwallis therefore sent out a flag at ten o'clock on 
the morning of the 17th, with a letter to General Washing- 
ton, requesting a cessation of arms for tweny-four hours, 
and that commissioners might be appointed for digesting 
the terms of capitulation. An answer was given declaring 
the general basis on which the capitulation might take 
place. These terms were complied with, and Cornwallis 
surrendered his army, ordnance and shipping on the 19th. 

The troops of every kind, that surrendered prisoners of 
war, exceeded seven thousand men ; but such was the 
number of sick and wounded, that there were only three 
thousand eight hundred capable of bearing arms. The 
officers and soldiers retained their private baggage and ef- 
fects. Fifteen hundred seamen shared the fate of the gar- 
rison. The Guadaloupe frigate of twenty-four guns, and a 
number of transports were surrendered to the conquerors ; 
about twenty transports had been sunk or burnt during the 
siege. The land forces became prisoners to congress ; but 
the seamen and ships were assigned to the French admi- 
ral. The Americans obtained a numerous artillery, seven- 
ty-five brass ordnance, and sixty-nine iron cannon, howit- 
zers and mortars. 

On the 20th of October, the American commander-in- 
chief congratulated in general orders the army on the glo- 

Why did he not succeed ? 

What did Cornwallis do on the morning of the 17th ? 

What answer did Washington return? 

When did Cornwallis surrender? (14) In what direction from 

the city did the British lay down their arms ? 
How many men ? How many seamen ? 
What force fell into the power of congress ? Of the French ? 
What did Washing-ton do on the 20th ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 271 

Preparations for peace. 

rious event of the preceding day ; and tendered to the gen- 
erals, officers and privates, his thanks in the warmest lan- 
guage." 

Never during the war had the American people greater 
joy. For, five days after the surrender of Cornwallis, Clin- 
ton appeared for his relief, but receiving information of the 
fate of the British, he returned to New York. 

This event nearly closed the war. The loss of so large 
an army deeply affected the English government, and 
lessened greatly the confidence of their army. Clinton 
saw clearly that further eflforts to subdue the country 
ivould be, 7nust be fruitless. The expenses of the war had 
already/ been vqij great to the English. A motion was 
therefore made and carried in parliament not long after, 
"that whoever should vote for the continuance of the war, 
should be considered an enemy to his country." 

During the siege of Yorktown, General Arnold had been, 
as before stated, detached from Clinton's army at New 
York, to make an excursion into Connecticut in order to 
divert the attention of the Americans from Cornwallis. 
This expedition was distinguished for cruelties. Arnold 
attacked Fort Trumbull on the west, and Fort Griswold on 
the east side of the river Thames, below New London. 
Both these forts were taken, and nearly all who defended 
them were put to death. The assailants then marched to 
New London, where they burnt sixty dwelling-houses, 
eighty-four stores, killed many of the inhabitants and com- 
mitted other outrages. 

After the surrender of Cornwallis, the British remained 
principally at New York, Charleston and Savannah. There 
were some skirmishes, but no battles which deserve a pass- 
ing notice. 

La Fayette soon returned to France. He came to America 
when she was in poverty and distress,and left her at the dawn 
of her prosperity and glory. His efforts to aid in the great 
struggle were sincere, and exceedingly valuable. His 
name, with those of Rochambeau and De Grasse, will ever 
live in the hearts of our citizens. 

When did CUnton arrive ? 

Eflfect of this victory? Why? 

What vote passed in the English parliament soon after ? 

When did La Fayette return to France ? 



272 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



'J'reaty concluded. Effect of t he war on England. Value of liberty. 

The poverty of the American government previous to 
the surrender of Cornwallis was extreme. It seems im- 
possible that it could have sustained another expensive 
campaign. Yet we know not what unexpected resources 
might have been obtained. 

Hostilities nearly ceased with the fall of Cornwallis, but 
a treaty of peace was not ratified for nearly two years, be- 
ing deferred until peace should have taken place between 
Great Britain and France, the ally of America. This event 
occurred on the 3d of September, 1783, and on the same 
day a treaty between the parent country and her late 
colonies was also signed. In this treaty the indepen- 
dence of the United States was fully acknowledged. The 
right of fishing on the banks of Newfoundland, and certain 
facilities in the enjoyment of that right, were secured to 
them for ever ; and territory was ceded to them of vast 
extent. 

The British nation were now at liberty to mourn over 
their previous measures. They had been taught by sad 
experience, that injustice is not good policy, and oppression 
is not true wisdom. A heavy debt had been incurred, and 
a most valuable province irrecoverably lost. 

When the struggle commenced, few, if any, in the colo- 
nies wished for a separation from the mother country. 
But when all hope of a happy and prosperous connection 
was destroyed, by the disposition manifested by the king 
and his advisers, it is surprising how soon the colonies 
were agreed on an attempt to achieve their independence, 
and united in their plans to secure it. 

Little can we reahze the price paid for our liberty, and 
the cost of the institutions which are the pride and glory 
of free America. Happy will it be for us and our children, 
if the same legacy descends to the future citizens of this 
great and interesting republic, which we inherit from the 
fathers of the revolution. Far distant be the day, when 

What was the pecuniary situation of the American government, 

prior to the surrender of Cornwallis ? 
When was a treaty of peace signed ? 
What other treaty at the same time ? 

Why delayed so long ? What some of the provisions of the treaty ? 
What change had taken place in the wishes of the American people 

since the commencement of the revolution ? 



AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 273 

Difficulties. Pay of soldiers. Disbanding of the army. Washington's resignation. 

the freemen of these states shall cease to watch against 
enemies without and enemies within. 

The United States, having achieved their independence, 
hailed the return of peace with the most heartfelt joy. 
During the war, they had fixed their thoughts on indepen- 
dence, and the right to tax and govern themselves, as suffi- 
cient to secure permanent happiness and prosperity. But, 
when no longer oppressed by a foreign enemy, they were 
prepared to view their situation in a very different light. 
Difficulties, before scarcely considered, now magnified as 
they were able to view them nearer and from a new point 
of observation. 

After the cessation of hostilities, and before it was possi- 
ble to make provision for the payment of the army, con- 
siderable excitement prevailed with regard to the debts. 
But by the influence of him who had led them on to 
victory, and who had shown the deepest sympathy in all 
their sufferings, the evils which threatened to grow out of 
this state of things were prevented. Those who had be- 
tra^red the greatest disposition to complain, were pacified 
by the promise of Washington to use his influence w^th 
congress that ample justice should be done to both officers 
and soldiers. 

In November, 1783, the army was peaceably disbanded, 
and a few days after, the commander-in-chief bade adieu to 
the officers who had so long acted under him. This scene 
was one of thrilling interest. The kind feelings manifested 
by their beloved general, his affectionate solicitude for their 
future happiness, together with the thought that the sepa- 
ration was probably a final one, drew tears from those who 
had faced danger in every form. 

Washington repaired immediately to congress, to whom, 
after some very pertinent remarks, he resigned his com- 
mission. A scene more grand than this can hardly be 
conceived. He who possessed the most unbounded influ- 
ence, and who might, had he cherished such a wish, 

AVhat were the feelings of the several states on the return of peace ? 

How did they view their political situation ? 

What effect was produced by the debts of government? 

How was this excitement allayed ? 

When was the army disbanded ? 



274 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Reflections. 

have annihilated congress, now stands before that body- 
to resign his commission ! How unhke the Alexan- 
ders, the Caesars, and the military heroes that have ap- 
peared in our world ! They fought for fame and glory 
— HE, to save his country from tyranny and oppression. 
This, being accomplished, he laid down his commission, 
and retired to his plantation at Mount Vernon to enjoy that 
exalted happiness which the society of his family, the ret- 
rospect of a useful life, and the prayers and benedictions of 
a grateful country could furnish. 

In reviewing the events of this war, and all its varied 
influences on the country, how striking are the interposi- 
tions of Divine Providence in favor of the young republic ! 
More than once might the British commander, developing 
but half his accustomed shrewdness and energy, have put 
an end to the war. But he was restrained by an unseen 
hand. The country was to become independent, and to be 
the land of the free — the asylum of the oppressed — a gar- 
den for free institutions. Happy will it be, if we, who have 
inherited these blessings, defend and perpetuate them. 

What did Washington do on resigning his commission ? 
What was the contrast between him and others ? 
Where did he retire ? What exhibits the interposition of Provi- 
dence. 



GEOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONS. 275 

Questions. 



GEOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONS. 
CHAPTER VI. 

SECTION I. 

* (3) Which way from Boston is Lexington ? Concord ? Cam- 
bridge? (5) Bunker Hill? In what town is this Hill? (3) In 
what part of Rhode Island is Bristol ? Of Massachusetts is Fal- 
mouth ? In what part of the State of New York is Ticonderoga ? 
Describe Sorrell river ? Where is Lake Champlain ? St. Johns ? 
Which way was Fort Chamblee from St. Johns ? From Mo?itreal ? 
Which way from St. Johns is Longueil ? In what part of Vermont 
are the Green Mountains ? Mention successively the places vis- 
ited by the first division sent into Canada. Mention the rout of 
the second division under Arnold. 



SECTION II. 

(2) Which way from Quebec to Crown Point ? (3) To Ticonde- 
roga ? (5) Which way from Boston are Dorchester Heights ? (2) 
Is Halifax ? New York ? In what part of South Carolina is 
Charleston ? Which way from New York ? (6) Which way its 
Staten Island from New York? From Staten Island is Nerv York 
Island ? Is Long Island ? Where is Brooklyn ? What other places, 
do you recollect, mentioned in the description of the battle there ? 
and in what direction are they from Brooklyn ? Which way is 
Harlem from Brooklyn ? (7) In what direction are White Plains 
from Harlem ? What other places are near it ? Which way from 
it is Fort Washington ? Fort Lee ? (8) Which way from Fort 
Washington is Fort Independence ? Fort Lee ? Snake Hill ? Har- 
lem ? (9) Newark ? Brunswick ? Princeton ? Trenton ? Where 
were the two armies in December ? 

How is Trenton situated ? What other towns are mentioned in. 
the description of the battle at this place ? In what direction are 
they from Trenton ? At what places were there battles during this 
year ? How are they situated ? 

* The Editors would gratefully acknowledge their obligations to Mr. Grray, In- 
structor in Natural Science in the Teachers Seminary at Andover, in the prepara- 
tion of some of the maps and descriptions of the battles of the Revolution. 



276 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Questions. 



SECTION III. 

(10) In what direction does the Delaware river run at Trenton ? 
Describe the tributary that empties into it at that place ? Describe 
the situation of the two armies on the 2d of January. "Which way 
from Trenton is Princeton ? (9) "Which way from New Brunswick ? 
From Morristown ? From Newark 1 From Woodbridge ? From 
Elizabethtown ? From Amboy ? (3) In what part of Connecticut 
are Danbury and Ridgefield ? Where is Sag Harbor ? Which way 
from Albany is Fort George ? Are Rockingham and Brattlebord' ? 
Is Cambridge? Manchester? (3 &: 11) Bennington? (3 & 12) 
Where is Stillwater ? (3 & 12) Saratoga ? (3) Which way is the 
latter from Bennington? From Quebec? From Boston? (13) 
Describe the Brandywine? Which way is it from Elk river? 
Which way from Elk Head to Chad's Ford ? To Germantonn ? 
(4) Which way from Philadelphia is Lancaster ? (13) Mud Island ? 
On which side of the Delaware are Red Bank and Billing^ s Point ? 
In what direction from Philadelphia is White Marsh ? Valley 
Forge ? Where were the most important battles during this year ? 



SECTION IV. 

Where were the two armies at the commencement of the next 
year? (13) Which way from Philadelphia is Valley Forge? 
(13) Monmouth ? (2) Newport ? (3) From Newport is New Lon- 
don ? What depredations about Buzzard's bay ? In what towns ? 
In what direction are they from Boston ? (4) Where was Wy- 
oming ? 



SECTION V. 

(4) On what river is Savannah ? Which way from Port Royal, 
in South Carolina ? From Augusta ? Augusta from Black Swamp ? 
The latter from Briar Creek ? What two places near the Hudson 
were attacked in June ? What places in Connecticut on the fol- 
lowing month ? In what part of the State are they ? 



SECTION VI. 

What city in the South surrendered early in this year? (4) 
Which way from Charleston is Fort Ninety- Six ? Camden ? Where 



CHRONOLOGICAL QUESTIONS. 277' 

Questions. 

is King's mountain ? Compens ? Which way from Camden ? From 
Chai"leston ? Into what does the Catawba river empty ? The 
Yadkin ? Where are Forts Watson and Motte ? The Eutaw 
Springs ? Where is Williamsiurg ? Which way from Yorhtown ? 
(14) Which way from Yorktown is Gloucester Point? Were the 
American parallels ? Describe the position of the troops. 



CHRONOLOGICAL QUESTIONS. 
CHAPTER VI. 

SECTION I. 

With what date and event does the VI. Period begin ? With 
what does it end? For what is it distinguished? How many 
years does it include ? How many divisions of the line ? How 
does this period compare with the others in length ? [See a part 
of the period of the Revolution expanded on the right end 
of the chart, so that the larger divisions represent years, 
and the smaller, months, beginning on the left hand with January.] 
When were the battles at Lexington and Concord ? When did the 
Second Continental Congress assemble ? What acts did it pass ? 
When was the battle at Bunker Hill ? Give an account of it. [The 
pupil should draw upon a slate, tablet or black board, a map of this 
and other similar battles, which are particularly described in this 
volume, and give his account of them in the form of a familiar 
lecture.] When was Fort Camblee taken ? What victory did the 
Green Mountain boys secure about the same time ? When was 
St. Johns surrendered ? What place was attacked next ? When ? 
V/here were the forces then concentrated ? When was the action 
at Quebec ? Give some account of its progress and termination. 
How long from the battle of Lexington to that of Bunker Hill ? 
From the latter to that at St. Johns ? From the last to that at 
Quebec ? Give, in their chronological order, the dates of the most 
important events in this section ? 



SECTION II. 

When were Dorchester Heights fortified ? When was Boston 
evacuated by the British ? What other events have you associated 
with this ? When was Canada evacuated by the Americans ? 
How long was this after the battle at Fort Camblee? At St. 
Johns ? At Quebec ? At Lexington ? At Bunker Hill ? When 
24 



278 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Questions. 



was the attack on Charleston ? When was Independence declared ? 
What do you remember about the manner in which the Declara- 
tion was drawn up ? About its sentiments ? Can you mention 
the names of the signers from your State ? Can you mention any 
others? When was the battle of Long Island? Give some ac- 
count of the troops some days previous — of the battle — of their 
march till they reached White Plains. When was the battle at 
White Plains ? When were the Articles of Confederation signed 1 
What delegates were sent to France about the same time ? When 
was the battle at Fort Washington ? The evacuation of Fort Lee ? 
When was the battle at Trenton ? Name as many of the important 
events of this year as you recollect, and give the name of each ? 
How many important battles ? 



SECTION III. 

When was the battle at Princeton? How long after that at 
Trenton ? At White Plains ? At Brooklyn ? On Bunker Hill ? 
When was the attack on Peekshill ? OnDanbury? What other 
place attacked about the same time ? When was Sag Harbor at- 
tacked ? In what month did La Fayette arrive ? When was the 
battle at Bennington ? How long after that at Princeton ? When 
was the battle of Stillwater? Of Saratoga? How long was this 
after the Battle of Bennington ? Of Princeton and Trenton ? Of 
White Plains ? Of Long Island ? Of Bunker Hill ? How long 
after the battle did Burgoyne surrender ? When was the battle of 
Brandywine? Of Germantown? When did the British enter 
Philadelphia? When did the Americans arrive at Valley Forge? 
Can you give the dates of the most important battles during this 
year ? 

SECTION IV. 

When did France acknowledge our independence? On what 
month did the armies leave their winter quarters? When did 
they meet at Monmouth? When was the siege of Newport? 
What causes rendered the armies so inactive this year, especially 
the first part of it ? 



SECTIONV. 

What southern state was attacked at the commencement of this 
year ? When was the battle at Savannah ? When was General 
Ashe surprised at Briar Creek? What places did Clinton take 
in June ? In July ? When was the attack on Stony Point ? On 
New Haven ? When did the Americans retake Stony Point ? In 



CHRONOLOGICAL QUESTIONS. 279 

Questions. 

what month did Sullivan destroy several Indian towns in Georgia ? 
How long did the attack on Savannah continue ? How much was 
paper money reduced in 1779 ? How much previously ? Subse- 
quently ? Why were the Americans so inactive this year ? 



SECTION VI. 

When did Clinton commence the siege of Charleston ? When did 
it surrender ? When were Burford and his men slain ? When was 
Springfield burnt ? When was the battle of Camden ? When was 
the treason of Arnold discovered ? When the battle of Cowpens ? 
Of Guilford ? How long after that at Cowpens ? At Camden ? 
Before that of Eutaw Springs ? What directed the attention of 
Washington toward Yorktown? When did Washington join 
La Fayette at Williamsburg ? When did the siege of Yorktown 
commence? How long did it continue? When did Cornwallis 
surrender ? How long after Burgoyne ? After the battle at Brook- 
lyn ? At Bunker Hill ? Give an account of the battle of York- 
town. When was a treaty of peace concluded ? How long after 
the battle of Yorktown ? After the commencement of the war ? 
How many years in this period? How does it compare with the 
other periods ? Mention some of the important battles in the Revo- 
lution, and give their dates. 



2S0 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



State of the country at the close of the war. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Embracing twenty-nine years, from tlie close of the Revolutionary 

War in 1783, to the commencement of war 

with England, in 1812. 

ORGANIZATION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND 

ADMINISTRATIONS OF WASHINGTON, ADAMS, 

JEFFERSON AND MADISON. 

The country, at the close of the Revolutionary War, was 
by no means free from embarrassments. Perhaps there 
was no period when its dangers were so numerous and 
great. Its government had been formed to meet the exi- 
gencies of the war. Congress did riot possess power to 
provide for the payment of the heavy debts which had 
been contracted. Each state being independent, and hav- 
ing the right to manage all its commercial concerns, it was 
impossible by any duties, established by congress, to raise 
a revenue, sufficient for the exigencies of the country. Va- 
rious plans were devised, and recommended to the several 
states, but none in which all could agree. At length, pub- 
lic confidence in the government began to decline. Many 
who held large claims against the country, sold them for a 
tenth part of their nominal value. 

The individual states adopted different measures for de- 
fraying the expenses they had incurred. Massachusetts 
enacted several laws for this purpose, some of which excit- 
ed great opposition. A part of the inhabitants groaned on 
account of their heavy taxes, and though they were nomi- 
nally free, yet many had formed no just ideas of freedom, 
for they considered any restraint or encumbrance, an en- 

What period is embraced in this Chapter ? 
With what event does it begin ? 
With what does it end ? 

What was the state of the country at the close of the revolutiona- 
war? 



FEDERAL GOVERNMENNT. 281 

Shays' insurrection. 

croachment upon their liberty. This opposition to govern- 
ment increased till August 1786, when it broke out in open 
rebellion. The object of the rebels was to prevent the exe- 
cution of the laws ; hence their emnity was principally 
exhibited in those towns in which courts were holden. 
They appeared first at Northampton and then at Worces- 
ter. The governor issued a proclamation requiring the 
suppression of these treasonable proceedings. In open 
defiance of civil authority, their leader, Daniel Shays, at 
the head of three hundred men marched into Springfield, 
interrupted the business of the court, and even compelled it 
to adjourn. Their number continually increased and their 
actions exhibited more bitter and determined hatred till four 
thousand men were ordered out under Gen. Lincoln to bring 
them into subjection. He marched to Worcester and pro- 
tected the court which was there in session, while Gen. 
Shepard, at the head of twelve hundred men, proceeded to 
Springfield to take possession of the arsenals. 

On the 25th of January, Shays with eleven hundred insur- 
gents approached. They were admonished of their danger, 
if they persevered in their plan. They still continued their 
march ; and when they had advanced near the arsenals, 
Shepard ordered his men to fire upon them. Three of their 
number were killed, one was wounded and the remainder 
were thrown into confusion. They retired to a neighbor- 
ing town and being closely pursued by the governor's 
army, they soon dispersed, and either retired to their homes, 
having accepted the pardon which the government oflfered 
them, or fled to other sections of the country. In none of 
the other states did the spirit of insubordination rise so 
high or continue so long. In New Hampshire a body of 
insurgents collected at Exeter and endeavored to interrupt 

What took place in 1786? 

When did Shays' rebellion commence ? Where ? 

What was the cause of it ? 

What did they do at Springfield? 

Who marched to Springfield against them? 

Who to Worcester ? 

When did Shays approach Springfield ? 

What was the result of the skirmish there ? 

What is said of the insurrection in New Hampshire ? 

24" 



282 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Congress. Constitution. 

the proceedings of the general court. But they were soon 
brought into subjection, and order was restored, where 
these commotions had disturbed the prosperity of the 
people. 

INo means had yet been devised for the payment of 
the national debt, and it seemed improbable that any could 
be devised which would give universal satisfaction. The 
legislature of Virginia, in accordance with the suggestion 
of Mr. Madison, proposed during this year, that a conven- 
tion should be called, " to take into consideration the Com- 
merce of the United States." 

Five states assenting to this proposal, sent delegates to a 
meeting at Annapolis in Maryland. This body adjourned, 
after a short session, to meet at Philadelphia, on the 19th 
of May, 1787. They recommended that all the states 
should appoint delegates to attend that meeting, for the pur- 
pose of enlarging and revising their civil compact. 

Representatives were selected by twelve states, who met 
at the time and place appointed, and chose General Wash- 
ington president of the convention. Instead of confining 
their attention to revising the " Articles of Confederation," 
the Assembly agreed to report and recommend a new Con- 
stitution. The difficulties attending this undertaking were 
of a different kind, still they were almost as numerous and 
as great as those which had been experienced in the Revo- 
lution itself. Conflicting interests were to be harmonized, 
sectional prejudices, and party differences, to be overcome, 
and all were to be united in a civil compact designed to 
secure individual rights and to promote the general good. 
In the course of their deliberations, the members of the 
convention found themselves several times at issue on 
principles of the greatest moment. But on none was there 
a more zealous and protracted discussion than on the prin- 

"Who proposed calling a convention ? 

Where did the Convention meet ? Where is Annapolis ? 

How many states sent delegates to the convention? 

To what place and time did this convention adjourn? 

What did they recommend ? 

How many states sent delegates ? 

Who was chosen president? 

To what did the assembly agree ? 

What did the attainment of their object require ? 



FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. 283 

The Legislature. 

ciple of representation in the senate. The larger states 
contended that the number of senators should be propor- 
tionate in some degree to the population, while the smaller 
maintained that every state should have an equal represen- 
tation in this department of congress. After much time 
had been spent in angry discussion, w^ithout any apparent 
disposition on either side to concession, it is said to have 
been proposed by a venerable member, that they should 
look to the source of all wisdom for guidance and to the 
author of light for divine illumination on a question of so 
much difficulty. He accordingly proposed, that their de- 
liberations should be preceded every day by prayer. The 
adoption of such a resolution encouraged the hearts of those 
whose experience had taught them the efficacy and utility 
of prayer, and who had long supplicated the throne of 
grace on this object. It is worthy of remark that soon 
after this resolution passed, the cloud of despondency, which 
had so long hung over the convention, and which had in 
some places settled into black despair, was dissipated, and 
the present mode of representation in the senate was adopt- 
ed. At length the constitution was finished, and on the 17th 
of September, was laid before Congress, and was soon 
sent to the several states. When adopted by nine of 
them, it was to become the Constitution of the country. 

The following abstract of this document is taken prin- 
cipally from Webster's Elements of Useful Knowledge. 

" The legislative power of the United States is vested in 
a Congress, consisting of two houses or branches, a senate, 
and a house of representatives. The members of the house 
of representatives are chosen once in two years, by the 
persons who are qualified to vote for members of the most 
numerous branch of the legislature, in each state. To be 
entitled to a seat in this house, a person must have attained 
to the age of twenty-five years, been a citizen of the Uni- 



on what principle were they most divided ? 

What views did the two parties maintain ? 

What was proposed after much discussion on this point ? 

Were their prayers answered ? 

Of how many branches is Congress composed ? 

How are representatives chosen ? 



284 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Senate. Powers of each house and of Congress. Restrictions. 

ted States for seven years, and be an inhabitant of the state 
in which he is chosen. 

" The senate consists of two senators from each state, 
chosen by the legislature for six years. The senate is di- 
vided into three classes, the seats of one of which are vaca- 
ted every second year. If a vacancy happens during the 
recess of the legislature, the executive of the state makes a 
temporary appointment of a senator, until the next meeting 
of the legislature. A senator must have attained to the age 
of thirty years, been a citizen of the United States nine 
years, and be an inhabitant of the state for which he is 
chosen. 

" The house of representatives choose their own speaker 
and other officers, and have the exclusive power of impeach- 
ing public officers, and originating bills for raising a reve- 
nue. The vice-president of the United States is president 
of the senate ; but the other officers are chosen by the sen- 
ate. The senate tries all impeachments; each house de- 
termines the validity of the elections and qualification of 
its own members, forms its own rules, and keeps a journal 
of its proceedings. The members are privileged from ar- 
rest, while attending on the session, going to, or returning 
from the same, except for treason, felony, or breach of the 
peace. 

" The Congress of the United States have power to make 
and enforce all laws, which are necessary for the general 
welfare — as to lay and collect taxes, imposts, and excises ; 
borrow money, regulate commerce, establish uniform rules 
of naturalization, coin money, establish post roads and post 
offices, promote the arts and sciences, institute tribunals in- 
ferior to the supreme court, define and punish piracy, declare 
war, and make reprisals, raise and support armies, provide 
a navy, regulate the militia, and to make all laws necessary 
to carry these powers into effect. 

" No bill of attainder, or retrospective law, shall be pass- 
ed ; the writ of habeas corpus cannot be suspended, except 
in cases of rebellion or invasion ; no direct tax can be laid, 
except according to a census of the inhabitants ; no duty 

How are Senators chosen? 

What are the powers of each branch oi Congress ? 

What has congress no power to do ? 



FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. 285 

Executive. President. Judiciary. 

can be laid on exports, no money can be drawn from the 
treasury, unless appropriated by law; no title of nobility 
can be granted, nor can any public officer, without the con- 
sent of congress, accept of any present or title from any 
foreign prince or state. The states are restrained from 
emitting bills of credit, from making any thing but gold or 
silver a tender for debts, and from passing any law impair- 
ing private contracts. 

" The executive power of the United States is vested in 
a president, who holds his office for four years. To quali- 
fy a man for president, he must have been a citizen at the 
adoption of the constitution, or must be a native of the 
United States; he must have attained to the age of thirty- 
five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the 
United States, The president and vice-president are cho- 
sen by electors, designated in such a manner as the legisla- 
ture of each state shall direct. The number of electors in 
each state is equal to the whole number of senators and 
representatives. 

" The president of the United States is commander in 
chief of the army and navy, and of the militia when in 
actual service. He grants reprieves and pardons ; nomi- 
nates, and, with the consent of the senate, appoints ambas- 
sadors, judges, and other officers; and, with the advice and 
consent of the senate, forms treaties, provided two thirds 
of the senate agree. He fills vacancies in offices which 
happen during the recess of the senate. He convenes the 
congress on extraordinary occasions, receives foreign min- 
isters, gives information to congress of the state of public 
affairs, and, in general, takes care that the laws be faithful- 
ly executed. 

" The Judiciary of the United States consists of one su- 
preme court, and such inferior courts as Congress shall 
ordain. The judges are to hold their offices during good 
behavior, and their salaries cannot be diminished during 
their continuance in office. The judicial power of these 

Are the powers of the states in any measure restricted ? 
What is said of the election of president and vice-president ? 
What are the powers and duties of the president? 
Of what does the judiciary consist ? 



286 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Judiciary. Rights and Immunities. 

courts extend to all cases in law and equity, arising under 
the constitution, or laws of the United States, and under 
treaties ; to cases of public ministers and consuls ; to all 
cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction ; to controver- 
sies between the states, and in which the United States are 
a party ; between citizens of different states ; between a 
state and a citizen of another state, and between citizens of 
the same state, having claims under grants in different states ; 
and to causes between one of the states or an American 
citizen, and a foreign state or citizen. 

" In all criminal trials, except impeachment, the trial by 
jury is guaranteed to the accused. Treason is restricted to 
the simple acts of levying war against the United States, 
and adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and com- 
fort ; and no person can be convicted but by two witnesses 
to the same act, or by confession in open court. A convic- 
tion of treason is not followed by a corruption of blood, to 
disinherit the heirs of the criminal, nor by a forfeiture of 
estate, except during the life of the offender. The citizens 
of each state are entitled to all privileges and immunities 
of citizens in the several states. Congress may admit new 
states into the union, and the national compact guarantees 
to each state a republican form of government, together 
with protection from foreign invasion and domestic vio- 
lence." 

Many advocated this new form of government with the 
greatest zeal. By others it was violently opposed. But 
after a warm discussion, it was adopted by all the states ex- 
cept Rhode Island and North Carolina; these, however, 
finally adopted it, the former in May, 1790, and the latter 
in November, 1789. 

This " new Union," was peculiarly gratifying to the real 
friends of the country, while it occasioned great disappoint- 
ment to her enemies, who had predicted that the effort 
would be abortive, and ruinous. 



What is said of judges ? Of the power of courts ? 

Of trial by jurors ? Of treason ? Of citizens ? 

Of the admission of new states ? 

What two states did not at first adoot the constitution ? 
When did they adopt it ? 



WASHINGTON'S ADMINISTRATION. 287 

Inauguation of Weishington. His address. A thanksgiving. 

As soon as the Constitution had been adopted, the eyes 
of the whole country were turned to Washington, as a can- 
didate for president. He was unanimously chosen, and as 
soon as possible, a new Congress was elected to convene at 
New York, on the 4th of March, 1789. It met according- 
ly, but was not duly organized, till April. Washington was 
officially informed of his election on the 14th, and took the 
oath of office on the 30th of that month. John Adams 
was chosen vice-president. 

In his address to both houses, the president expressed his 
incapacity for " the weighty and untried cares before him," 
and offered his " fervent supplications to that Almighty Be- 
ing whose providential aid can supply every human defect, 
that his benediction would consecrate to the liberties and 
happiness of the people of the United States, a government 
instituted by themselves for essential purposes, and would 
enable every instrument, employed in its administration, to 
execute with success the functions allotted to his charge." 
He stated " that the foundation of our national policy must 
be laid in pure principles of private morality ; and that no 
truth is more thoroughly established than that there exists an 
INDISSOLUBLE UNION between virtue and happiness; between 
duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims of an hon- 
est and magnanimous people; and the solid rewards of public 
prosperity and felicity." 

Congress passed a resolve requesting the president to re- 
commend to the people, a day of thanksgiving, in which 
they should publicly acknowledge " with grateful hearts 
the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially in 
enabling them to establish a constitutional government for 
their safety and happiness." 

As soon as Congress was duly organized, various meas- 
ures were discussed with regard to raising a revenue, to 
liquidate the public debt. The amount of labor which de- 
volved on that Congress was great ; but the members were 

When was Washington inaugurated ? 

What took place in 1789 ? 

Who was chosen first president ? 

Give some account of his address. 

What did Congress request the president to do ? 

What is said of this congress ? 



288 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Members of congre ss. Amendmenta. Washington's visit to New England 

fully adequate to the exigencies of their situation, and dis- 
charged their duties with great fidelity. President Wash- 
ington selected as his cabinet, Thomas Jefferson, Colonel 
Hamilton, General Knox, and Edmund Randolph. The 
first was Secretary of State, the second, of the Treasury, 
the third, of War, and the fourth. Attorney Greneral. John 
Jay was appointed Chief Judge of the Supreme Court. 

Several amendments to the Constitution were proposed, 
and after protracted discussion, they were submitted to the 
several states. Twelve articles were approved by three 
fourths of the states, and were consequently added to the 
Constitution. 

Congress adjourned on the 29th of September. Soon 
after, the president visited New England. He received 
from the people, everywhere, the highest demonstrations of 
respect and confidence. Parents were not contented to see 
the Father of his country themselves, but brought even their 
little children, that they too might behold him to whom they 
were so much indebted for the bright prospects before 
them. The homage, love and confidence of a grate- 
fal, free and intelligent people, were to him, the highest 
reward he could receive for his protracted and self-deny- 
ing services. 

The object of the president in this tour, was to ascertain 
the true state of the country — its resources and its necessi- 
ties. It was, in this respect, highly serviceable. 

Congress convened again, early in January 1790. Mr. 
Hamilton had been appointed to make a report at this ses- 
sion, on the means of discharging the national debt. He 
recommended that the foreign debt should be paid, and 
that the debts contracted by the several states for pros- 
ecuting the war, should be assumed by the general govern- 
ment. And that all who held public securities should re- 

Who constituted Washington's cabinet ? 

What was discussed by congress ? 

How many articles were added to the constitution ? 

What did Washington do in the recess of congress ? 

How was he received ? 

What his object ? 

When did congress meet again ? 

What report was made ? 

What was the substance of it ? 



WASHINGTON'S ADMINISTRATION. 289 

Public debt. Bank and duties on spirits. Admission of Vermont. 

ceive the full value of them. He recommended a tax ok 
distilled spirits and other articles, to increase the revenue. 

This report led to a protracted and warm discussion, 
and was the means of dividing Congress into parties, 
which have, in some modified forms, existed ever since. 
The proposal of Mr. Hamilton was finally carried. The 
debts amounted to more than seventy million dollars, on a 
part of which three per cent interest was to be paid, and on 
the rest six. 

Another act of this Congress fixed the seat of govern- 
ment, for ten years, at Philadelphia. It was the expectation 
that it would then be removed farther south. In 1790, a 
war which had for some time been earned on between 
the Cherokees and Georgia, was terminated. 

During its third session. Congress was occupied with a 
bill for laying duties on distilled spirits, and in discussing 
the subject of a National Bank. An act laying such duties 
was passed. On the subject of a bank the cabinet was di- 
vided in opinion. But after protracted debate a bill was 
passed creating such a bank, and was approved by tlie 
president. This seemed to increase the disaffection of many 
with the executive, and arrayed the Republican and Feder- 
al parties in more distinct opposition to each other than any 
previous measure. The bill laying a tax on distilled spirits 
was exceedingly unpopular in some of the states. 

On the 4th of March, 1791, Vermont was admitted to the 
union. For several years, this territory had assumed the 
character of a state, and had been prevented from uniting 
with the general government by a controversy with New 
York. The latter state had laid claim to it as a part of her 
territory. Most of the early settlers, having purchased 
their lands of New Hampshire, refused to pay for them a 

What tax did Mr, Hamilton recommend ? 
How were his proposals received? 
How large was tlie national debt ? 
Where was the seat of government fixed for ten years ? 
What war terminated in 1790 ? 

What subjects were discussed during the third session of congress? 
What acts were passed ? Effect of these acts ? 

What state was admitted in 1791 ? 
(2) How is it bouuded ? 
Why did not Vermont join the union earlier ? 
25 



290 SCHOOL HISTOKY. 

Parties in second congress. Hostilities of Indians. 

second time, and therefore decided to establish a govern- 
ment independent of both. The difficuhy with New York 
having been adjusted, there was no longer any obstacle to 
joining the union. 

By a census taken during this year, it was found that the 
number of inhabitants in the United States amounted to 
nearly four millions. 

Another session of Congress commenced on the 24th 
of October, 1791. The party spirit which had been excited 
previously, became still more conspicuous. One of the first 
measures of this Congress was to establish the ratio of rep- 
resentation. It was finally decided that one representative 
should be elected for every thirty-three thousand in- 
habitants. 

The Indians on the Ohio River had for some time evinc- 
ed hostile intentions, and were averse to the terms of peace 
which had been proposed. An army, of seventeen hundred 
men under the command of General Harmer, was sent to 
chastise them, and bring them to terms. After destroying 
some of their towns and penetrating into their country, he 
was defeated near Chillicothe. The Indians, taking encour- 
agement from this success, were still more troublesome to the 
unprotected frontier settlements. General St. Clair was dis- 
patched at the head of two thousand men, to prosecute the 
war. On the 4th of November, he was surprised in his 
camp, and suffered a signal defeat. More than six hun- 
dred were killed and two hundred and sixty wounded. 
The Indians followed the retreating army several miles. 
The camp and artillery fell into their hands. 

Congress determined to prosecute the war with vigor, but 
recruits could not be raised in sufficient numbers, to justify 



What the number of people in the United States in 1791? 

"What the state of party spirit at the next session of congress ? 

How many people were to send a representative ? 

"What force was dispatched this year against the Indians of Ohio? 

(2) Where is Chillicothe ? 

Who was dispatched soon after? 

With how many men ? "With what success ? 

How many of his number were killed and wounded ? 

Of what else did the Indians come in possession ? 



WASHINGTON S ADMINISTRATION. 291 

Mint. Admission of Kentucky, Second inauguration of Washington. France. 

another campaign. Many in Congress and elsewhere were 
evidently opposed to the war as unnecessary and unjust. 
Pacific measures were again proposed. But those who 
were despatched with these proposals, were murdered by the 
savages. 

In 1792, an act was passed establishing a mint, and reg- 
ulating the coin of the United States. On the 1st of June, 
Kentucky was admitted into the union. 

The term, for which the president was chosen, having 
nearly expired, a new election resulted in the choice of 
Washington, for the next four years. Mr. Adams was also 
re-elected vice-president. Washington was inaugurated 
on the 4th of March, 1793. 

The violence of parties continued to increase. A revo- 
lution had been progressing in France, which seemed to 
increase the differences. It was natural that much sym- 
pathy should be felt with that country which had been 
the ally of the United States, during the struggle for inde- 
pendence. The republican party shared largely in this 
sympathy. But the events in France were characterized 
with such violence, injustice and horrid butcheries, and were 
controlled by such sanguinary leaders, that the other party 
became as much opposed to France. The king was be- 
headed, and war declared against both England and Hol- 
land. 

The federal party now charged the republicans with 
cherishing opinions the most destructive to religion, good 
order and law. In this excited state of feeling, Washing- 
ton issued a proclamation of neutrality. This gave great 
offence to the more violent of the republican party, some 
of whom, would gladly have aided France in her strug- 
gle. The French minister to the United States took impro- 
per measures for procuring aid for his country, and when his 

"What efforts next made ? What the fate of the commissioners ? 

When was Kentucky admitted into the union ? 

(2) Describe it geographically. 

When was Washington a second time inaugurated? 

Who was re-elected vice-president ? 

What caused great excitement in America at this time ? 

What were many of the people disposed to do ? 

What was done by the president at this juncture ? 

What the effect of the president's proclamation ? 



292 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Pennsylvania rebellion. Algerine piraiea. Battle with Indians. 

demands w.ere not complied with by the executive, threat- 
ened an appeal from the president to the people. This 
threat opened the eyes of many to the true intentions of the 
French. Their minister, Mr. Genet attempted, after the 
proclamation of neutrality, to fit out privateers to prey on 
the commerce of England, with whom the United States 
were at peace. The president requested France to recall 
him, which was done soon after. 

Mr. Jefferson retired from the cabinet in January, 1794, 
and Mr. Randolph was appointed to succeed him as Secre- 
tary of State, and William Bradford was appointed Attorney 
General in his place. 

The opposition to the law imposing a tax on distilled 
spirits, resulted in open rebellion in the western part of 
Pennsylvania. The insurgents raised an army of about 
seven thousand men, to resist the law. It was found ne- 
cessary to raise a force to oppose them, as other efforts to 
check the rebellion proved abortive. This had the de- 
signed effect, without resorting to actual engagement. The 
leaders were seized, and the rebellion quelled. 

An act passed at this time, to raise a force to protect our 
vessels from Algerine pirates, who had taken many of our 
merchant ships and condemned the crews to slavery. 

During this year, war was seriously apprehended with 
Great Britain, for violating the treaty ratified in 1783. To 
prevent this Mr. Jay was sent to England to settle the dif- 
ficulties. 

An important battle was fought with the Western Indians, 
who continued troublesome. General Wayne succeeded 
General St. Clair, and, at the head of three thousand men, 
obtained a decisive victory over them, which disposed them 
to enter into a treaty of peace. 

Conduct of the French minister? 

What changes in the president's cabinet ? When? 

What caused great discontent in Pennsylvania ? 

What the number of insurgents ? 

What was it necessary to do ? 

Why ? With what success ? 

What act passed ? 

(l)Where is Algiers ? 

What did the United States do to avert a war with Great Britain ? 

What battle ? 



WASHmGTON'S ADMINISTRATION. 293 

Change in the cabinet, Treaties with England, Algiers and Spain. Tennessee. 

At the commencement of the next year, 1795, Mr. Ham- 
ilton retired from the cabinet, and Oliver Wolcott was ap- 
pointed Secretary of the Treasury in his place. Soon 
after Timothy Pickering succeeded General Knox as Se- 
cretary of War. 

While in England, Mr. Jay succeeded in making anoth- 
er treaty, which, on his return, was approved by the Senate 
and was duly ratified. But this treaty, far from being sat- 
isfactory to the republican party, was condemned by them 
in the most unqualified terms. It was not entirely satis- 
factory to the executive, as it did not deny the right of the 
British to search merchant vessels and to take their seamen 
whenever found on board our ships. But Washington 
supposed the treaty was the best that could be made under 
existing circumstances, and thought it for the interest of 
the country to accept it, rather than that the nation should 
be involved in war. Congress, durmg the next session ap- 
proved of this course by a majority of only three. Parties 
were so nearly equal that every effort was made by each 
to defeat the other. 

During the same year a treaty was made with Algiers, 
and the prisoners they had taken were liberated. A treaty 
was also concluded with Spain, which secured to our peo- 
ple the undisturbed navigation of the Mississippi River. 

In 1796, Tennessee was admitted into the union. Diffi- 
culties with France were augmented this year, by the course 
pursued by Mr. Fauchet who succeeded Mr. Genet as min- 
ister from that country. He was aware that many in the 
United States favored the cause of France, and was led to 
assume the tone of authority in urging the wishes of his 
nation. The French requested the recall of Mr. Morris, 

What changes ia the cabinet ? 

What the success of Mr. Jay? By whom disapproved? 

How did Washington regard it? Why ? 
Was it approved by congress ? 
What treaty made in 1795? 
What other treaty made this year ? 
What was gained by it ? 
What state admitted to the union in 1796 ? 
(2) How bounded? 

What course taken by the minister of France ? 
What exchange of ministers soon after ? 
25^ 



294 ' SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Change of ministers. " Washington's farewell. Republicans and Federalists, 

and Mr. Monroe succeeded him. Fauchet was recalled 
by France, and Mr. Adet appointed in his place. But he 
pursued the same policy in attempting to involve America 
in the wars in which his country was engaged. 

Washington, however, pursued the same policy of neu- 
trality, and opposed firmly, taking any pan in the wars of 
Europe. He recalled Mr. Monroe, and nominated Charles 
C. Pinkney as minister to France. 

His term of service having nearly expired, Washington 
declined a re-election, and published a farewell address to 
the people of the United States. This address evinced the 
kindest regard for those, whose interests he had so long 
labored to secure. It was filled with caution, counsel and 
advice, worthy of the head and heart of the Hero of the 
Eevolution, and the Father of the country. He called 
upon the nation to cherish a strong and unwavering attach- 
ment to the union of the states, to watch its preservation 
with the deepest solicitude, and to " frown indignantly upon 
the first dawn of an attempt to alienate any portion of the 
country from the rest." Overgrown military establishments 
he represented as dangerous, as also all combinations, hav- 
ing for their object the control or subversion of the con- 
stituted authorities. He cautioned them against a spirit of 
innovation. He considered " honesty the best policy," in 
the conduct of public affairs; and knowledge, virtue and 
religion as indispensable to political prosperity. 

But this afifectionate advice did not prevent the increase 
of party spirit. In 1797, the two predominant parties, fed- 
eralists and republicans, presented their candidates for the 
presidency. The federalists claimed to be the sole suppor- 
ters of Washington's policy, the republicans, the supporters 
of liberty. The federalists accused the republicans of be- 



What course pursued by the president ? 

"W^hat did he do previous to vacating his office ? 

What evinced by his farewell address ? 

What did he recommend? 

Did this address prevent the increase of party spirit ? 

What event of importance in 1797? 

Who did the federalists claim to be? 

The republicans ? 



ADAMS' ADMINISTRATION. 295 

Difficulties with France. Envoys to France. 

ing governed by French influence and principles ; the re- 
publicans in turn accused the federalists of undue attach- 
ment to England. The former supported Adams, the latter 
supported Jefferson, as candidates for the presidency. Mr. 
Adams, however, was chosen president, and Mr. Jefferson, 
vice-president. Washington once more retired to enjoy the 
pleasures of a private life, at his delightful residence on 
Mount Vernon. He was followed with the benedictions of 
a grateful republic. 

Mr. Adams commenced his administration on the 4th of 
March, 1797, immediately after which, the affairs of France 
claimed particular attention. Direct indignity had been cast 
on the Americans by the course taken by the French Di- 
rectory. On his arrival in France, Mr. Pinkney was not 
received. The president considered the attitude, France 
had assumed, such as to justify his calling congress together 
on the 15th of June. Mr. Adams urged congress to " repel 
this indignity of the French government, by a course which 
should show that we are not a degraded people, humiliated 
under a colonial spirit of fear and a sense of inferiority, fitted 
to be the miserable instruments of foreign influence, and 
regardless of national honor, character and interest." 

At the suggestion of the president, three envoys extra- 
ordinary were sent to France. But these were not acknowl- 
edged by the French Directory. That body, however, held 
indirect intercourse with them, demanding a certain sum of 
money, before they would enter into any official negotiation. 
The envoys were little disposed to this. Mr. Adams, on 
learning these facts, declared that he would " make no fur- 
ther overtures, until assured that his envoys would be 



Who supported Adams? "Who Jefferson? 

Who was elected president ? Who vice-president ? 

Where did Washington retire ? (4) Where is it ? 

When was Mr. Adams inaugurated ? 

What was done by France ? 

When was congress convened ? 

What recommended by the president ? 

What measures were taken to avert war ? 

With what success ? 

What did Mr. Adams declare ? 



296 SCHOOL HISTOEY. 

Death of Washmgton. Capitol. 

received in a manner suited to the dignity of a great and 
independent nation." These events were followed by un- 
justifiable outrages committed by Frenchmen upon Ameri- 
can commerce. An army was therefore raised by the 
American government, at the head of which Washington 
was again placed. 

These preparations for war, produced the effect designed, 
and France signified a willingness to renew negotiations. 
Envoys were accordingly appointed, in 1798, who imme- 
diately repaired to France. But on arriving there, they 
found the government in the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte. 
He had becorne dictator, and readily entered into negotia- 
tions, which resulted in an honorable treaty of peace, signed 
at Paris, on the 30th of September, 1800. 

On the 14th of December 1799, the immortal Washington 
was called away from earth. After a short, but distressing 
sickness, he died at Mount Vernon in the sixty-eighth year 
of his age. The news of his death produced universal 
grief. Congress manifested the highest sympathy. "The 
blackened newspaper," announced the mournful event to 
the people of every hamlet in the land. " A nation was 
CLAD IN MOURNING." The people were convened in every 
church to listen to the eulogy of the orator, and the 
solemn dirge of the choir. But his praise is above eulogy. 
He was the benefactor of his race — the Father of his 
COUNTRY — the sincere Christian. His tomb is at Mount 
Vernon, where it will long be visited by a grateful 
people. 

During the year 1800, the seat of government was per- 
manently fixed at Washington city, in the District of Co- 
lumbia. 

The time for which Mr. Adams was elected had now 



By what outrages were these events followed ? 

What did the American government do ? 

Who was placed at the head of it ? What the result? 

Who had assumed the government of France ? 

What treaty concluded ? 

When did Washington expire ? Where ? 

Effect upon the nation? Character of Washington ? 

What was done in 1800 ? 



JEFFERSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 297 

Census. War. Ohio. Treaty. Louisiana. Tripolitan war. 

expired, and he was succeeded by Mr. Jefferson, who was 
inaugurated on the 4th of March, 1801. 

At the commencement of his administration, " he 
departed from the practice of the former presidents ; 
and instead of a speech to the houses of congress, he sent 
them a loritten message." The principal offices were 
now filled by republicans, and changes were made in the 
policy of the government. 

During this year, a second census was taken, showing 
an increase of one million four hundred thousand in the 
United States, in ten years. Ohio was admitted to the 
union in 1802. 

In 1803, a treaty was concluded at Paris, ceding Louisi- 
ana, including the immense region of country from the 
Mississippi to the Pacific, to the United States, for this 
territory the American government paid fifteen million 
dollars. 

When war was declared against Tripoli in 1801, congress 
dispatched two frigates and a sloop of war to protect 
the commerce of the Mediterranean. These, by blockad- 
ing the harbor of Tripoli, had prevented their piratical 
cruisers, from leaving it, to annoy the American merchant 
ships. But aware that more efficient measures weie ne- 
cessary, they sent out seven sail in 1803, under Commodore 
Preble, one of which, the Philadelphia, was captured by 
the enemy while in the harbor of Tripoli, to reconnoitre. 
The officers were treated as prisoners, and the crew as 
slaves. In 1804, Decatur, then a lieutenant under Preble, 



When was Jefferson inaugurated ? 

What custom did he introduce ' 

By whom were the principal offices now filled ? 

What did the census taken this year show? 

What war? Why? 

What state admitted into the union 1802 ? 

(2) Describe it geographically. What treaty 1803? 

What did it secure to the United States ? 

On what terms ? 

What squadron sent out in 1801 ? Why ? 

(1) Where is Tripoli? 

With what success ? What done m 1803 ? 

AVhat misfortune ^ What daring exploit in 1804 ? 

By whom ? 



^98 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



The Philadelphia. Hamet's troops under Eaton at Derne. 

having got permission of the commodore, armed a small 
ketch called the Intrepid, and, secretly entering the harbor 
of Tripoli, approached within gunshot of the castle of the 
bashaw. Here he found the frigate Philadelphia, which 
the Algerines had taken from, the Americans. And al- 
though exposed to the enemy's cruisers, he instantly board- 
ed her, and by help of his crew killed some of the Tripo- 
litans, and drove the rest into the sea. The artillery of the 
enemy's battery was now poured upon Decatur and his 
men ; and the corsairs in the harbor were approaching. 
He therefore set fire to the Philadelphia, and was soon out 
of reach. He effected this daring exploit, without losing a 
man. 

Commodore Preble afterward attempted to destroy the 
fortifications of Tripoli ; but without success. 

In the interim. Captain Bainbridge and the crew of the 
Philadelphia remaining in the hands of the Tripolitans, and 
being treated with great cruelty, the strongest sympathy in 
America was excited in their behalf. Consequently, con- 
gress willingly acceded to a proposal made by Captain Ea- 
ton, who had been consul at Tunis. This was, to engage 
Hamet, the elder brother of the bashaw, to co-operate with 
him. By uniting their forces, he supposed they might 
make a successful attack upon the Tripolitans, Troops 
were therefore collected in Egypt through the influence of 
Hamet, who hoped now to regain the throne of Tripoli, by 
expelling the bashaw his brother, who had usurped it. Ea- 
ton having been appointed general of Hamet's forces, who 
were chiefly Arabs, marched across a part of the desert 
one thousand miles in extent, to Derne, where he found a 
part of the American fleet, destined to assist him. He 

With what success ? 

What did Preble afterward attempt ? 

With what success ? 

What excited great interest in America ? 

To what did congress accede ? 

What did Eaton attempt? 

What was done in Egypt through the influence of Hamet ? 

What were the motives of Hamet? 

Of what forces was Eaton commander? 

What did he do ? 

What did he find at Derne ? 



JEFFERSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 299 

Eaton's victory. Hamilton and Burr. Jefferson. 

learned that the bashaw was within a short distance of the 

The next morning, summoning ihe governor of Derne 
to surrender, he received for answer, " my head or j'-ours." 
Eaton then commenced an attack upon the city, which 
yielded after a severe struggle. Having fortified it as well 
as he was able, he waited the approach of the bashaw, who, 
on the 8th of May, 1805, commenced the attack. The 
forces of the enemy, although ten times as numerous as 
those of Eaton, were unable to make any impression upon 
his fortifications, and after four hours, retired. On the 10th 
of June, Eaton was victorious in another engagement. 
And the next day, the Tripolitans, terrified at the arrival of 
the American frigate Constitution, fled to the desert. 

The bravery of Eaton, and his forces produced so great 
an impression upon the mind of the enemy, that they were 
willing to treat for peace. A treaty was, therefore, nego- 
tiated. An exchange of prisoners took place, and Bain- 
bridge and his crew were liberated. 

A difference arose between General Hamilton and Aaron 
Burr, vice-president, on account of* some expressions which 
the former had used in a public journal. The latter requir- 
ed him to acknowledge or deny that he was the author of 
those expressions. This Hamilton refused to do. Hence 
Burr challenged him. They met in July, in an open fields 
near New York, where Hamilton was mortally wounded 
by the first fire. Thus, by a disgraceful death, fell a man 
of pre-eminent talent and worth. 

In 1805, Jefferson was re-elected to the presidency, and 



What did he learn ? 

What did Eaton do the next morning? 

What was his answer? 

What course did he next take ? With what suecess ? 

What happened on the 8th of May ? [forces ? 

How much more numerous were the Tripohtans than Eaton's 

What transpired the 10th of June ? 

Effect of the bravery of Eaton's forces? 

How did Hamilton die ? 

Is it right for men to trifle with life in this manner ? 

When was Jefferson re-elected ? 



300 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Search of American ships. Blockading. Aaron Burr. 

George Clinton of New York, was chosen vice-president. 
Difficulties with England occurred during the following 
year, which were attended with considerable excitement. 

England had avowed sentiments in opposition to those 
cherished by the people of the United States. The two 
nations had ever been at variance with regard to the right 
to search the vessels of other nations, and the subject of 
allegiance. England advocated the principle that a man 
always owes allegiance to the country in which he is born. 
America regarded all as her subjects, who had resided in 
the country long enough to become naturalized. Com- 
manders of British ships, exercising the pretended right of 
search, entered American vessels, and took from them sea- 
men, whom they claimed as British subjects, because born 
in England. This was not all. Those, who had been 
born in America, were often taken, as well as those who 
had been merely residents, and were impressed by officers 
of the British navy. 

In May, 1806, Great Britain issued a proclamation declar- 
ing the continent, from Elbe to Brest in a state of blockade. 
By way of retaliation the French government, in November, 
declared the British Isles in a state of blockade. Both thus 
declared that no neutral power should trade with the other, 
and hence greatly injured the commerce of the United 
States. It was, under these circumstances, difficult to as- 
certain the path of duty. Things remained in this state 
for several months. In the mean time, considerable ex- 
citement was produced, by the supposed organization of a 
conspiracy by Aaron Burr, to overturn the government 
He was arrested and tried on a charge of treason^ but 
finally acquitted. In 1807, the Chesapeak, on her way to 
the Mediterranean, was overtaken by the British ship of 

Who vice-president ? 

Upon what subjects were England and America at variance at ihis 

time? 
What did England maintain ? 

America ? What did English commanders do ? 

What proclamation issued by England ? 
What did the French do ? Why ? 

What attack on one of the American vessels in 1807 ? 



JEFFERSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 301 

The battle' of the Chesapeak and Leopard. Search and impressment. 

war, Leopard. The British commander boarded the 
Chesapeak, on the 22d of June, with orders, as he said, to 
take some deserters. These were Americans, who having 
been impressed by the British, had deserted and enlisted 
in the American service. Commodore Barron refused to 
give up any of his men ; in consequence of which, the 
commander of the Leopard commenced an attack. Not 
being prepared for an encounter, Barron struck his colors, 
and informed the British officer that the Chesapeak was 
his prize. The latter however took the deserters, and then 
informed Barron, " that was all he had to do with her." 

This event caused deep excitement. The president 
commanded all the armed vessels of the English to leave 
the harbors and waters of the United States without delay. 

Mr. Monroe, the American minister to England, was 
instructed to demand reparation for the offence. 

On the 11th of November, Great Britain, by her ' orders 
in council,' prohibited all neutral nations from trading with 
France, or her allies, except they should pay England 
tribute. In return, Napoleon, on the 17th of December, 
declared that every vessel that should submit to be search- 
ed, or pay tribute to England, should be seized, if found 
within the ports of the French. 

Almost all American vessels were thus rendered liable 
to capture. This induced America on the 22d of Decem- 
ber to lay an embargo on her vessels, to prohibit them 
from sailing to foreign ports. This kept her property and 
her seamen at home, and at the same time could not be 
construed into a hostile measure. The embargo was 

What circumstances brought on the action ? 

Which vessel was victorious ? 

What was said by Barron ? 

By the British officer ? 

Effect of this intelligence on the community ? 

What proclamation issued by the president soon after ? 

What instructions were given to the American minister in England? 

Who was he ? 

What proclamation issued by the EngUsh government ? 

When ? What by Napoleon soon after? 

Effect of these upon American commerce ? 

What did the American government do at this crisis ? 

What was this act called? 

26 



302 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Madison President. Non-intercourse. Battle of Little Belt with the President. 

opposed by the federalists, and approved by the repub- 
licans. Both parties were deeply excited. 

In 1808, Commodore Barron was tried for surrendering 
the Chesapeak, without proper efforts to defend her, and 
suspended for five years. Mr. Jefferson's second term of 
service expired in 1809. 

Mr. Madison was elected president, and Mr. Clinton re- 
elected vice president, for the succeeding four years. 

The embargo was repealed during this year, notwith- 
standing the affairs of Europe were not settled. A law 
was substituted in May, 1810, forbidding all intercourse 
with France and Great Britain for one year. This, called 
a non-intercourse act, expired the following year, and 
America made proposals alike to England and France, that 
if either would revoke its hostile acts, the non-intercourse 
law should be revived and enforced only in reference to 
that nation which refused to repeal its obnoxious edict. 
France accepted the proposal. England rejected it. The 
third census was taken in 1810. The number of inhabit- 
ants had increased to seven million two hundred and thir- 
ty-nine thousand nine hundred and three. 

On the 16th of May, 1811, the British sloop of war Lit- 
tle Belt hovering on the coast, encountered the United 
States frigate President. The Little Belt commenced the 
attack ; but was soon defeated. Thirty-two of her men 
were killed and wounded. This event increased the pro- 
bability of a rupture with Great Britain. 

During this year the Indians of the Western frontier, 
availing themselves of the state of our relations with the 
European powers, arrayed themselves under the famous 
chief Tecumseh, and an Indian fanatic who styled himself 

By whom approved ? By whom opposed ? What its design ? 

What trial by court martial 1808 ? Result ? 

When was Madison elected ? What act repealed this year ? 

What substituted in its place ? What was it called ? 

When did it expire ? 

What were the proposals of the American government to England 

and France ? 
Which accepted ? Which refused? What engagement 1811 ? 
When ? Where ? Result ? 

How many men of the Little Belt killed and wounded? 
What did the western Indians do ? Why ? Who their leader ? 



MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION. 30S 



Battle with Indians at Tippecanoe. P reparations for defence. J. Henry. 

a prophet, and committed the greatest atrocities. Gov- 
ernor Harrison was dispatched, with a force composed of 
regulars and militia, against them. He met them on the 
7th of November at Tippecanoe, their principal town, and 
although they agreed to a suspension of hostilities till the 
next day, yet they rushed upon the Americans during 
the night, but were met and repulsed. Harrison's loss 
was, however, great, being not far from one hundred and 
eighty ; while that of the Indians was one hundred and 
seventy killed, and one hundred wounded, including some 
of their chief warriors. 

This year, the British made reparation for their attack 
on the Chesapeak ; but persisted in their right to search 
American vessels, and impress seamen born in England. 
They also enforced, most rigorously the ' orders in council.- 
In consequence of which richly laden merchantmen bound 
to France, were seized by the British. Many were thus 
captured. Nearly a thousand seamen had been taken from 
our ships, during the previous years. 

When Congress assembled in November, the executive 
recommended that the country should be put in an attitude 
of defence. Accordingly, the army was increased to thirty- 
five thousand, and provisions made to enlarge the navy. A 
law was enacted empowering the president to borrow eleven 
millions of dollars. Another act doubled the duties on 
imported goods, and laid new duties on domestic goods 
and almost all kinds of property. 

In February, 1812, the president proved to Congress 
that John Henry had been sent over by the British gov- 
ernment, on a secret mission, to undermine the government 



Who was dispatched against them ? 

Where did he meet them ? When ? 

To what did the Indians agree ? Did they observe the agreement ? 

What did they do during the night ? Result ? 

How great the loss of Harrison ? Of the Indians ? 

What reparation was made by England this year ? 

In what did they persist ? What did they enforce ? 

What the consequences to American commerce ? 

What did Congress do in November ? What law enacted ? 

What attempt made in 1812, to undermine the Union ? 

By whom ? With what success ? 



304 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Embargo. Declaration of war. 

of the United States, by creating discord and disunion. 
Having travelled through several of the states, without 
being able to effect his object, he was forced to abandon 
it. He now vainly sought from England, a compensation 
for his services. Despairing of pay from this source, he 
revealed the whole to the Congress, which paid him fifty 
thousand dollars for the disclosure, out of the contingent 
fund for foreign intercourse. 

This treachery on the part of England, excited univer- 
sal indignation, and seemed to widen the breach which 
already existed. 

But little hope could now be cherished, of an amicable 
settlement of difficulties between the two nations. Already 
English ships had taken a large immber of seamen from 
our vessels, many of which were imprisoned in England. 
The " right to search " was denied by America, and a 
resort to arms seemed inevitable. 

On the 4th of April, 1812, Congress laid an embargo on 
all vessels in the harbors of the United States, for ninety 
days. 

To this measure the federal party were violently opposed, 
and yet more to a war with Great Britain. But after a 
full discussion of the subject, Congress passed an act on 
the 18th of June, making a formal declaration of war. 

The minority in Congress entered a formal and solemn 
protest against this act. They considered the country un- 
prepared for war, and declared their belief, that there were 
no justifiable grounds for such a measure. They were 
instrumental of producing great excitement in every part 
of the country. This led the British to hope that many 
would join their standard. The two parties were arrayed 
against each other with all conceivable hostility. Party 
spirit arose so high as to alarm the moderate of all parties. 

To whom did he apply for pay ? 

With what result ? 

To whom did he disclose the objects of his mission ? 

How rewarded ? 

Effect of this treachery of England? 

What did Congress do in April ? What day ? 

By whom opposed ? 



MADISON'S ADMINISTATION. 305 



Questions. 



GEOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONS. 
CHAPTER Vn. 

(3) Where is Worcester ? Springfield ? Where is Exeter ? In 
what direction from New York ? Boston ? (4) Where is Annap- 
olis ? In M^hat direction from New York ? From Philadelphia ? 
AVhere did the convention that formed the constitution meet? 
In what state is it ? Where did the new congress meet ? Which 
way is that from Philadelphia ? What place was made the seat of 
government for ten years ? In what part of the United States is 
Vermont ? How bounded ? Where is Chillicothe ? Where is Ken- 
flick?/ ? How bounded ? How is Tennessee bounded ? Where is 
the cit?/ of Washington ? In what direction from Philadelphia ? 
Where is 3£ount Vernon? How is Ohio bounded? (1) How is 
Tripoli situated ? Which way from Algiers ? From Tunis ? (2) 
Where is Louisiana ? 



CHRONOLOGICAL QUESTIONS. 

CHAPTER VII. 

When does this period begin ? end ? How long ? Longer or 
shorter than the last ? How much ? When was Shays' insurrec- 
tion ? When was the new constitution formed ? What is said of 
the legislative power ? Of the senate ? Of the house of represen- 
tatives ? Of the powers of congress ? Of the executive power ? 
Of the duties of the president ? Of the judiciary ? Of the adop- 
tion of this constitution? How long had the former government 
existed? When did the new congress convene? When did 
Washington become president ? Who was chosen vice-president ? 
V/hat did Washington say in his address to congress? Who 
formed his cabinet? How long was that session of congress? 
When did it convene again ? What is said of Hamilton's report ? 
What did congress do at its third session ? When was Vermont 
admitted to the union ? When was General St- Clair defeated ? 
When was Kentucky admitted to the union ? When was Wash- 
26* 



306 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Questions. 



ington re-elected ? What war in Europe disturbed the peace of 
the country at this period ? What other events of importance, dur- 
ing Washington's administration, do you recollect ? When was 
Adams inaugurated ? How long did he serve ? When did Wash- 
ington die ? How long after his election as president ? After he 
took command of the revolutionary army at Cambridge ? At what 
age? When was a treaty concluded with France? When was 
the seat of government established at Washington ? When was 
Jefferson inaugurated ? When was war declared against Tripoli ? 
When was Jefferson re-elected president ? What difficulties soon 
existed? When was Madison elected? When was the Chesa- 
peake. taken? The Indians defeated at Tippecanoe? War de- 
clared ? 



MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION. 307 

Slate of the country at the commencement of the war. Commander. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Embracing eighteen years j from the commencement of the war 
with England to the year 1830. 

WAR WITH ENGLAND, ADMINISTRATIONS OF MADI- 
SON, MONROE, ADAMS AND JACKSON. 

Immediately after the declaration of war, vigorous mea- 
sures were taken to increase the army and navy. The lat- 
ter was greatly disproportionate to the navy of the enemy. 
The army was undisciplined, and inadequate to the wants 
of the country. Few officers of experience could be found. 
Nearly thirty years had elapsed since the Revolutionary 
war. A few of the officers, indeed, survived, but they 
were aged, and had long been devoted to other pursuits. 

General Dearborn, a revolutionary officer, was appointed 
commander-iB-chief. He established his head quarters at 
Greenbush, New York. General Hull, governor of Michigan 
was appointed to command the army in that quarter. An 
army of about two th^Dusand men was placed under his 
command, previous to the declaration of war. Before 
learning that war was declared, he sent the sick of his army 
and some of his baggage in a sloop to Detroit. The British, 
unfortunately for him, gained intelligence of the declara- 
tion of war earlier than he did, and this vessel was 
captured. A trunk containing public papers was in the 
vessel which fell into the han4s of the enemy, by which 
they became acquainted with his plans of operation, and 

What length of time embraced in this period ? 

What the first and last remarkable event ? 

What measures were taken directly after the declaration of war ? 

What was the state of the army and navy ? 

Who was appointed commander-in-chief ? 

Where did he establish his head quarters ? 

(3) Where is Greenbush? 

Who was appointed to command the army near the lakes ? 

What misfortune did he expererience at this time ? Why ? 



308 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Hull at Detroit. His delay to attack Maiden. Distressing situation of Hull. 

of the condition and the numbers of his army. This 
was exceedingly unfortunate for him. Hull arrived at 
Detroit on the 5th of July, entered Canada on the 12th, 
and proceeded to Sandwich. From this place he issued a 
proclamation to the people of Canada. He urged them to 
join the Americans, but promised protection to their per- 
sons and properly if they remained at home. 

He was directed to take the fort of Maiden, or Amherst- 
burg, which was the stronghold of the enemy in that quar- 
ter. Some of his officers urged him to this, immediately. 
But he deemed it expedient to wait for his artillery to 
arrive from Detroit. The governor of Ohio, at the request 
of Hull, forwarded supplies. The British, having sent a 
detachment to intercept these, two hundred men were sent 
by Hull, under Major Van Horn, to protect them. The 
whole party were surprised by the enemy, and retreated 
in disorder, with the loss of eighteen killed. The fort at 
Mackinaw was attacked by the British, and the small gar- 
rison in it taken on the 17th of July. Hull received this 
inteUigence on the 4th of August. 

General Dearborn was to have invaded Canada from Ni- 
agara. The governor of Canada sent an officer with dis- 
patches to the government, and requested an armistice with 
Dearborn till the result of these should be known. This 
was done to enable the enemy to bring their whole force 
against Hull. Dearbarn complied. The situation of Hull 
was now perplexing. The Indians were rising, and the 
forces of the enemy increasing. He was prevented from 
receiving necessary supplies. Instead of proceeding to at- 
tack Maiden, he ordered a retreat to Detroit. On the 8th 
of August a detachment of six hundred men was sent to 

(2) Where is Detroit ? 

Which way from Sandwich 'f 

From Fort Maiden ? 

What proclamation did he issue in Canada ? 

What fort was he directed to take ? 

Why did he not do it immediately ? 

What fort was taken by the British on the 17th of July ? 

(2) Where is it ? 

What did the Governor do? Why ? 

What tended to render the situation of Hull very perplexing at this 

time ? 
What did Hull do instead of attacking Maiden ? 



MADISON'S ADMINISTEATION. 309 

His surrender. 

meet the supplies from Ohio. These were attacked the 
next day by a detachment of British and Indians from Mai- 
den. The latter were defeated, though the Americans lost 
nearly a hundred men in killed and wounded. The de- 
tachment returned to Detroit without proceeding to meet 
the supplies. 

Another detachment started for the same object on the 
13th of August. On the 15th a small party of Americans 
were attacked by a much larger number of Indians. Cap- 
tain Heald, who commanded the company and who was 
proceeding to Detroit, made a manful resistance, but 
being overpowered by superior numbers, was obliged to 
surrender. 

The British army was rapidly increasing — General 
Brock arrived on the 14th of August, and took the com- 
mand. On the 15th, he summoned Hull to surrender. 
Hull replied, " I am prepared to meet any force which may 
be at your disposal." Brock immediately opened his 
batteries on the fort. The fire was returned by the Amer- 
icans with some effect. On the 16th the British landed 
and approached the fort. The army were prepared to 
meet them, but before the British had arrived sufficiently 
near to commence the action, Hull ordered his men to re- 
tire to the fort. They received the order with great indig- 
nation, but obeyed it. Hull ordered a white flag to be 
hung out, and, without consulting his officers, on the same 
day, commenced a negotiation for surrendering the fort and 
army. 



What defeat on the 9th of August ? 

What surrender on the 15th ? 

What the loss of the Americans ? 

Who arrived and took command of the British troops on the 14th. 

What did he summon Hull to do ? 

What did he reply ? 

What did Brock do ? 

When was Detroit summoned to surrender ? 

What did Hull order his men to do ? 

What did Hull order next ? 

How were these orders received by his men ? 

What negotiation did he commence ? 

Did he consult his officers previously ? 



310 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Battles of Guerriere and Ccnstitution. Ale rt and Essex. New Troops. Harrison. 

This disgraceful transaction was everywhere the occa- 
sion of deep regret. Hull was afterwards tried and con- 
demned to death, but was pardoned by the executive in 
consequence of former services and his advanced age. 
The Americans were greatly chagrined at this event. 

The mortification experienced in consequence of the 
surrender of Detroit was in some measure relieved, three 
days after, by the capture of the English frigate Guerriere, 
off the Grand Bank of Newfoundland. 

Dacres, the Captain of the Guerriere, holding the 
' Yankees ' in utter contempt, had challenged any Ameri- 
can vessel of her size. The American frigate Constitution, 
commanded by Captain Hull, falling in with the Guerriere, 
on the 19th of August, engaged her. He gave direction 
to receive her broadsides, without returning a fire, until 
they were in a favorable position. Then the Constitution 
poured into her enemy so terrible a fire, that she struck 
her colors in thirty minutes. Her loss was sixty-five 
killed, and sixty-three wounded, while the Americans lost 
only seven. ^ 

The Alert, a British sloop, was soon after captured by 
the United States frigate Essex. 

Before the surrender of General Hull, recruits from 
Kentucky and Ohio were on their march to join him. 
The fall of Hull quickened rather than checked the energy 
of several of the western states, in raising soldiers for the 
service of their country. Wm. H. Harrison was appointed 
commander of the western army on the 24th of Septem- 
ber. He was aided by General Winchester. 

* This and other accounts of several other engagements during the war sie 
abstracted from the "Republic of America." 

How was his conduct regarded through the country ? 

"What sentence was passed upon him ? 

Why was this sentence remitted ? 

By what was the mortification of the people relieved ? 

When was she captured ? 

Give an account oi the battle. 

What capture soon after by the Essex ? 

How did the fall of Hull affect the raising of soldiers in the western 

states ? 
Who was appointed to the command of the western army on the 

24th of September ? 
By whom aided ? 



MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION. 811 

Van Rensselaer at Niagara, Bravery of Wool. 

Several attempts were made to subdue some of the 
neighboring Indians, but most of them failed, owing to a 
want of subordination in the militia. In an attempt to 
destroy the Kickapoo and Peoria towns. General Hopkins 
commanded, but after a march of several days, the army 
refused to proceed, and returned, in opposition to the 
orders of their commander. 

Troops were stationed at several places in New York, 
for defending the frontiers. General Bloomfield command- 
ed at Plattsburg, General Smith at Buffalo, and General 
Stephen Van Rensselaer at Niagara. Under the latter 
were about five thousand New York Militia. These were 
very desirous of being led against the enemy. General 
Van Rensselaer, therefore determined to attack Queens- 
town on the opposite side of the river. On the 13th of Oc- 
tober, a part of the army succeeded in crossing. While Col- 
onel Solomon Van Rensselaer and Captain Wool who had 
first crossed, were waiting for orders to ascend the heights, 
they were attacked by the enemy on their flanks. Several 
of the Americans were wounded, although the enemy were 
repulsed. Among this number was Colonel Van Rensse- 
laer. The command now devolved upon Captain Wool. 
But he was soon wounded, a ball having struck him side- 
wise, and passed through both his thighs. In this condition, 
however, he sought out the wounded Colonel, to consult 
what it was best to do. Van Rensselaer advised, as the only 
prospect of success, to storm the British battery upon the 
heights. Wool immediately proceeded, with the greatest 
secrecy, to gain an eminence which commanded it. When 



What attempts were made at this time ? 

With what success ? 

At what places in New York were troops stationed ? 

Under whom ? 

(2) Where are these towns ? 

Which way from Niagara is Queenstown ? 

What happened while the troops under Van Rensselaer and Wool 

were waiting for orders to ascend the heights ? 
What the result ? 

Upon whom did the command now devolve ? 
How was he wounded ? 
What did he do ? 



312 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Defeat of the Americans. 

the British perceived the situation occupied by Wool, they 
deemed all resistance vain ; and retreated. 

After the capture of the battery, the American troops 
were in disorder, when the enemy, having been rein- 
forced, advanced. An American, alarmed for the safety 
of the troops, raised a white flag, as a token of surrender, 
which was instantly torn down by Captain Wool. He 
then dispatched sixty men, to keep the enemy at bay 
until he could arrange his men. They advanced upon 
the enemy, but retreated again, without firing a gun. 
The British pressing upon the troops of Wool, drove them 
to the brink of a precipice, which one of them was about to 
descend, when the commander ordered him to be shot. He 
instantly returned. The British were now attacked, and 
in turn retreated. Their commander, the brave General 
Brock was morally wounded in attempting to rally his 
troops. They afterwards fled in great disorder. 

Colonel Christie, with another detachment of the army, 
having now crossed the river, they were met by a thousand 
of the enemy's troops, consisting of British and Indians, 
who had just arrived from Fort George, which lay a little 
north of Queenstown. A reinforcement being now necessa- 
ry. General Van Rensselaer recrossed the Niagara, for the 
purpose of bringing over more than two thousand five 
hundred militia, still on the opposite side. But though in 
the morning, anxious to engage the enemy, they now utter- 
ly refused. Those who were in the battle bravely standing 
their ground, for considerable time, Avere at length obliged 
to surrender. Sixty of the Americans were killed, one 
hundred wounded, and seven hundred taken prisoners. 



The result ? 

In what state were the American troops, when the enemy again 

advanced. 
For what did Wool there dispatch sixty men ? 
What did the British then do ? 
What the result ? 

What did General Van Rensselaer do at this time ? Why ? 
With what success ? 
AVhat was the result of this battle ? 
How many Americans killed ? 
How many wounded ? 
How many taken prisoners ? ,. 



MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION. 313 

Naval battles. 

Had the militia obeyed the orders given, the enemy would 
undoubtedly have been repulsed. This defeat was exceed- 
ingly humiliating to the Americans. About this period, an 
exploit was performed by Captain Elliot, which was highly 
applauded. With one hundred men in two boats, he 
crossed the Niagara and took from the enemy two brigt 
which were lying under the guns of Fort Erie. 

On the 18th of October the United States sloop of war 
Wasp, commanded by Captain Jones, fell in with the Brit- 
ish sloop Frolic, near the island of Bermuda. The Wasp 
received the fire of the enemy, although somewhat supe- 
rior to herself, at a short distance ; and as she returned it, 
approached nearer and nearer until her rammers, while 
loading, struck the side of the Frolic. Jones then boarded 
her; but did not find a single private to oppose him. 
" Three officers and the seaman at the wheel, were all that 
were alive on deck. 

He did not, however, long enjoy this bloody victory. A 
British seventy-four coming up, took both vessels and car- 
ried them to Bermuda. The capture of the British frig- 
ate Macedonian, by the brave Decatur, soon after, waS 
regarded even by the English themselves, as evincing 
great skill and bravery. The loss of the Americans in 
this engagement was only twelve, while that of the British 
was one hundred and four." 

No less flattering to American prowess was the cap- 
ture of the Java on the 29th of December. Commo- 
dore Brainbridge, commander of the Constitution, met 
this British ship of forty-nine guns, near the coast of Bra- 
zil An action ensued, which was protracted for nearly 

How was this defeat viewed by the Americans ? 

What exploit performed about thi6 time ? 

What vessel was captured on the 18th of October ? 

By whom ? Where ? 

Give some account of the engagement. 

What happened to both vessels soon after the battle? 

Who took the Macedonian ? 

What was the loss of the Americans * 

Of the English? 

What vessel was captured next ? 

Where ? By whom ? 

27 



314 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



American Privateers. Battle at St. Regis. 

two hours, during which the Constitution lost nine- 
teen men and had twenty-five wounded, while she shot 
away the masts of the Java, in which were killed sixty 
men, and more than a hundred wounded. The British 
having lost every spar, nailed their colors to the stump of 
a mast ; but they were at length torn down. 

While the American navy was achieving these victories, 
privateers were engaged in annoying the enemies com- 
merce, and in capturing vessels of a size often far superior to 
their own. Nearly two hundred and fifty vessels were cap- 
tured, and three thousand men made prisoners, during the 
campaign of 1812. On the land, little was attempted after 
the battle at Queenstown. Major Young, who commanded 
a body of New York militia posted at French mills, made 
an attack, October 22, on the English at St. Regis. "With- 
out any loss to him, five of the enemy were killed and 
forty taken prisoners. 

A detachment from the army at Plattsburg, under Col- 
onel Pike, surprised a party of British and Indians in the 
latter part of November, and destroyed a considerable quan- 
tity of stores. But the campaign ended without any con- 
siderable benefit to our army. On the 12th of this month, 
General Smith succeeded General Van Rensselaer, in the 
command of the central army in the vicinity of Niagara. 
He promised much, in an address to the people of New 
York, but after an unsuccessful attempt to invade Canada 
from that quarter, ordered his army into winter quarters.. 

Congress was, at the commencement of the next year, 
busily engaged in preparing for the next campaign. Mas- 
sachusetts and Connecticut, on being requested to furnish 

What was the length of the battle ? 

What loss sustained by the Constitution? 

By the Java ? 

What was the success of the American privateers during the cam- 
paign of 1812. 

What attack October 22d ? 

What the result of it ? 

What engagement the latter part of November ? 

The result ? 

What was the success of the American army during the campaign 
of 1812 ? 

Who succeeded Van Rensselaer on the 12th November ? 



MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION. 315 

Increase of the army and navy. Money. Battle at Frenchtown. 



a part of their militia, for the defence of the frontiers, re- 
fused, on the ground, that " the individual states had a right 
to judge as to the expediency of the war, and as they did 
not conceive it a necessary war, they vi^ere not bound by 
the Constitution to furnish their militia for its prosecution." 
Great opposition to the war was manifested by many in 
other pans of the country. Congress proceeded to pass 
acts authorizing the construction of four ships, of seventy- 
four guns ; and six frigates of forty-four guns, and also to 
increase the navy on the lakes. 

A bill was passed also, authorizing the President to in- 
crease still farther the army, by raising such a number of 
regiments of infantry, not exceeding twenty, as might be 
necessary. By the same act an additional force was di- 
rected to be appropriated for the defence of the frontier. 

On the 26th of January, Congress authorized govern- 
ment to borrow sixteen million dollars, and empowered 
the President to issue treasury notes to an amount not ex- 
ceeding five million dollars. 

General Winchester proceeded in January, from the head 
quarters of General Harrison, at Franklington, Ohio. 
Learning that a party of British were stationed at French- 
town, he immediately attacked and defeated them, but 
soon after, was surprised, by a force composed of British 
and Indians, and defeated. He surrendered on condition 
of being protected by Colonel Proctor. But this condition 
was basely disregarded. After the departure of the Eng- 
lish, the savages returned, and falling on the wounded 
prisoners butchered them in the streets. In this unhappy 

What did Massachusetts and Connecticut refuse at the commence- 
ment of the ensuing year ? 
On what ground ? 
What did Congress proceed to do ? 
What did they authorize the President to do ? 
What other direction in the same act ? 
What bill passed by Congress the 26th of January ? 
What did General Winchester do in January ? 
(2) Where is Frenchtown ? 
By whom surprised ? 
What the result ? 

On what terms did Winchester surrender ? 
Were these fulfilled ? 
What the consequences to the Arasr'cans ? 



316 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Navy. Blockade. Battle at Fort G eorge. 

encounter the Americans lost in killed and wounded about 
five hundred. An equal number were made prisoners. 

In accordance with the act of Congress to enlarge the 
navy on the lakes, efforts had been made to equip fleets 
for this purpose, and a considerable naval force was soon 
prepared for action. 

During the early part of the year, the enemy blockaded 
Delaware and Chesapeak bays, and committed shameful 
outrages on the peaceful inhabitants. This produced in- 
dignant feelings, even among those opposed to the war. 
Many places were burned or sacked, and much private 
property destroyed. New London and New York were 
both blockaded. 

His time of service expiring on the 4th of March, 1813, 
President Madison was re-elected. Elbridge Gerry of 
Massachusetts was chosen vice president for the succeeding 
four years. 

On the 27th of April, 1813, York, the great depot for 
Upper Canada, was attacked by the Americans under 
general Dearborn and taken. The loss of the British 
was ninety killed, two hundred wounded, and three hun- 
dred taken prisoners, besides five hundred militia released 
upon parole. A great quantity of military stores fell into 
the hands of the Americans. The capture of Fort George 
followed on the 27th of May. The English having lost 
three hundred men, spiked their guns and left the fort to 
the Americans. This was followed by the capture of Fort 
Erie on the 28th, which lay opposite to Buffalo. These 

How many did they lose ? 
How many made prisoners ? 

What had been done in accordance with the act of Congress to en- 
large the navy on the lakes ? 
What places blockaded by the enemy the early part of the year ? 
What was their treatment of the inhabitants ? 
What feelings did these outrages excite ? 
Who was elected president this year ? 
Who vice president ? 
When was York captured ? 
(2) Where is it ? 

What the loss of the British on the occasion ? 
What capture soon followed this ? 
How many did the British lose ? 
What other fort was taken ? Where is it • 



MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION. 317 

Battle on Lake Erie. Battle of the Thames. 

successes were highly gratifying to those who were in favor 
of the war. But they were followed by a considerable loss 
on the 24th of June, at a place called the Beaver Dams, 
nearly opposite to Niagara. Colonel BcEstler was ordered 
by General Dearborn to attack the enemy collected at that 
place. But his ammunition failed, and he was obliged to 
surrender his detachment of six hundred men. 

A considerable naval force had been collected on Lake 
Erie consisting of the Niagara and Lawrence, of twen- 
ty-five guns each, and several small boats, all under com- 
mand of Commodore Perry, a young, brave, but inexperi- 
enced officer. The British squadron mounting in all 
sixty-three guns, and consisting of six vessels, was un- 
der the command of Commodore Barclay a veteran officer. 
On the 10th of September, about noon, the two fleets became 
engaged in a general action. The Lawrence, which bore 
the American flag, becoming soon disabled. Perry left it 
amidst a storm of bullets, in a boat, and went on board the 
Niagara. After an engagement of nearly four hours — 
the whole British squadron surrendered to the Americans. 

This victory, cleared a passage for the Americans to the 
territory which had been surrendered by General Hull. 
General Harrison, therefore, hastened hither, and having 
taken possession of Maiden and Detroit, he pursued 
the retreating army of General Proctor to the Moravian 
village, on the Thames. Here the Americans under Har- 
rison engaged the English under Proctor, together with the 
Indians under Tecumseh, on the 5th of October. But the 
latter falling in the midst of the battle, his Indian warriors 

What effect had their success on those who were in favor of the 

war ? 
By what loss were they soon followed ? 

Of what did the naval force of the Americans on Lake Erie consist? 
Of what did that of the British consist ? 
What took place the 10th of September ? 
What did Perry do when the Lawrence became disabled ? 
Who surrendered ? 
Effect of this success ? 
What did General Harrison do ? 
Of what did he take possession ? 
To what place did he pursue the retreating army ? 
C2) How IS It situated ? 
What then took place ? 

27^ 



318 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Battle on Lake Ontario. Battle at Williamaburg. 

fled, and thus turned the fortune of the day in favor of the 
Americans. Nineteen regulars were killed, fifty wounded 
and six hundred made prisoners. One hundred and twen- 
ty of the Indians were slain. The loss of the Americans 
was but about fifty. Six brass field pieces, which had 
been surrendered by Hull were re-taken; upon two of 
which was the inscription " Surrendered by Burgoyne at 
Saratoga." 

This victory was highly serviceable to the Americans, 
in leading the hostile Indians to espouse their cause. 

Commodore Chauncey encountered a British fleet of 
seven sail, on Lake Ontario, on the 5th of October. Dur- 
ing the engagement, the Americans captured five of 
the enemy's vessels and burnt one. The other escaped. 

General Wilkinson, who had succeeded to the command 
of the central army, while meditating an attack on Mon- 
treal, was met on the 11th of November, at Williamsburg, 
by a British force of two thousand men, under General 
Brown and Colonel Macomb. After an action of more 
than three hours, the army of Wilkinson retreated ; the 
infantry, which had been left to cover the retreat of the 
Americans, having been dislodged by the enemy. The 
loss of the Americans was three hundred and fifty, that of 
the enemy one hundred and eighty. The whole number 
of Americans, in the action did not exceed twelve hundred 
men, while that of the enemy was nearly double. 

The attack on Montreal, was now postponed. General 
Hampton, having received orders to proceed to Lake 
Champlain, encamped his forces amounting to four thou- 
sand men, at Plattsburg. He was soon after, however, 

Which side gained the victory ? 

How many of the English killed ? 

Wounded ? Taken prisoners ? 

What was the loss of the Indians ? 

Of the Americans ? 

What was taken by the Americans ? 

Effect of this victory upon the Indians ? 

What took place on Lake Ontario in October ? 

On what day ? 

What battle in November ? 

(2) Where is Williamsburg ? 

State particulars. 



MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION. 319 

Battles near Plattsburg, and at F ort George. 

ordered to proceed to Montreal; but learning that the 
British occupied a post, directly on his rout to that place, 
he sent Colonel Purdy on the night of the 25th of Septem- 
ber, with a force of two hundred men, for the purpose of 
dislodging them. The efforts of Purdy proved unsuccessful. 

Early the next morning, the other part of the army, un- 
der the command of Hampton, overtook Purdy's detach- 
ment, within a mile of the enemy. General Izard, under 
whose command General Hampton had placed a con- 
siderable part of his forces, proceeded to attack the enemy 
in the hope of dislodging them ; but his attempt proving 
unsuccessful, be retired from the field. Colonel Purdy's 
troops who were on the opposite bank of the river, owing 
to excessive fatigue, in consequence of their previous march, 
were unable to render Izard any assistance. Being in- 
formed that the intention of making an attack on Montreal, 
was abandoned, General Hampton retired to Plattsburg, 
where he established winter quarters. He soon after re- 
signed and was succeeded by General Izard. 

Sir George Provost, the English commander, no longer 
fearing an attack on Montreal, sent a detachment under 
Vincent and Drummond to Niagara. General M'Clure, 
who commanded a small force, at fort George, greatly 
feared the approach of the enemy, in consequence of the 
superiority of their forces. He therefore caused the vil- 
lage of Niagara to be burned, on the 10th of December. 
Although government had not authorized this measure, 
the British determined to retaliate. Accordingly, they took 
possession of the fort by surprise, on the 19th of the same 
month ; and put most of the garrison to the sword. 

The British troops, being soon considerably increased, 
with the aid of seven hundred Indians, destroyed Lewis- 
town, Manchester, and the Tuscarora villages, on the east 
side of Niagara River just north of the falls. 

On the 29th of December, the Americans under Gener- 



What battle soon after ? When ? 

Give particulars. 

What village burnt soon after ? When ? 

How retaliated 1 

What other places were destroyed ? 



320 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Peacock and Hornet. Chesapeake and Shannon. Argus and Pelican. 

al Hall suffered a defeat at Black Eock, north of Buffalo 
after which both places were burned. 

Several naval engagements occurred, on the ocean dur- 
ing this year, some of which were honorable to American 
prowess, while others were humiliating. 

On the 23d of February, the Americans gained a naval 
victory off the coast of Brazil. The engagement was be- 
tween the British ship Peacock and the United States ship 
Hornet. It lasted but fifteen minutes. The loss of the 
Americans in killed and wounded was but five. That of 
the English forty. The Peacock went to the bottom soon 
after the action. Several other naval engagements occurred 
during the year. The most important will be mentioned be- 
fore proceeding to other events. 

The United States frigate Chesapeake, lying in Boston 
harbor, was challenged by the Shannon, on the 1st of June. 
Captain Lawrence unfortunately accepted the challenge. 
His officers and crew were unacquainted with him, as he 
had been commander of the vessel only a short time. The 
crew were much dissatisfied also, in consequence of not 
having received their wages. Lawrence, however, put to 
sea, and a severe battle ensued. In a very few minutes, 
every officer on board, capable of the command, was killed 
or wounded. Lawrence was, therefore, asked if " the colors 
should be struck." " No," said he " they shall wave while 
I live." He had received a mortal wound, and becoming 
delirious, continued to cry, " Don't give up the ship." But 
the contest was ended, and the Shannon carried her prize 
into Halifax. 

The capture of the United States Sloop Argus, by the 
British Sloop Pelican, in St. George's Channel, followed 
on the 14th of August. 

In the next engagement, on the 4th of September, the 
Americans were victorious. The brig Enterprize, having 



What places burnt by the British ? 

What event in February ? 

On what day ? 

Give an account of it. 

Of the battle between the Chesapeake and Shannon. 

Who were victorious in the next engagement ? 

Where was it ? When ? 



MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION. 321 

The Enterprize and Boxer. Indian hostilities. Jackson's conquest of them- 

sailed a few hours from Portland Harbor, encountered the 
British ship Boxer. The commanders of both ships fell at 
the commencement of the action; the vessel of the enemy 
became unmanageable, and the crew desired quarter ; but 
were unable to signify it, as the English commander had 
caused his colors to be nailed to the mast. This did not, 
however, prevent the capture of his ship. 

The Creek Indians, having been aroused by a visit of 
the eloquent Tecumseh, became troublesome, during the 
year, and annoyed those whites, who, from their situation, 
were most exposed to their attacks. At length, becoming 
more bold, on the 30th of August, they attacked at noon 
day, Fort Mims, in the southern part of Alabama. They 
were at first repulsed by the Americans ; but returning, 
they drove the besieged into their houses, and set fire to 
them. A dreadful carnage ensued. They inhumanly 
butchered more than two hundred and eighty persons. 
Seventeen only escaped to tell the news. 

But most dearly did the Creeks pay for this short lived 
triumph. Soon after, the troops under General Jackson, 
and others, killed two hundred in a battle at Tallushatches ; 
three hundred and forty in Talladega and its vicinity, more 
than five hundred and fifty at a battle near the bend of the 
Tallapoosa; and two hundred and sixty in other places 
in Alabama ; making in all more than thirteen hundred 
and fifty, exclusive of women and children taken prisoners. 
The loss of the Americans in these engagements with the 
Indians, were in comparison with this estimate, inconsid, 
erable. 

The Creeks, after this, were willing to enter into a treaty 
highly favorable to the United States. The other events 

"What victory next mentioned ? 

What some of the particulars ? 

What was the conduct of the Creek Indians at this time ? 

Why ? What attack ? When ? 

What was the success of the Americans at first ? 

What afterwards ? 

How many Americans butchered ? 

How many Indians slain at Tallushatches ? 

At Talladega ? At the Tallapoosa ? In other places ? 

What the loss of the Americans in these engagements ? 

What the effect upon the Creeks ? 



322 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Mediation of Russia. Acts of Congress. Impressment. 

of the campaign of 1813, were not very numerous or im- 
portant. 

To prevent, if possible, the continuance of war, Alexan- 
der, emperor of Russia, volunteered as mediator between 
England and America. The latter, to evince her willing- 
ness to sheathe the sword, in the spring of 1813, dispatched 
embassadors to Russia, to negotiate with any commissioners 
Britain might choose to appoint. That power, however, 
declined the offer of Alexander, preferring to treat with 
America, directly. The American embassadors, therefore, 
immediately repaired to Ghent, the place agreed on, to meet 
the English embassadors. 

In consequence of the critical state of the country, an ex- 
tra session of Congress was commenced on the 28th of 
May. Duties were laid on various articles ; by means of 
which it was expected to raise five millions and a half of 
dollars ; and a loan was authorized by which it was hoped 
to raise seven millions and a half more, to meet the expen- 
ses of the war, and prepare for new efforts if it should con- 
tinue. 

An event occurred during this year, that produced con- 
siderable excitement. The British had taken forty English 
prisoners who had become naturalized citizens of the Uni- 
ted States. They were immediately sent to England to be 
tried for treason. The American government conceiving 
it their duty to protect them, put in close confinement an 
equal number of British soldiers, declaring that if any vio- 
lence was done them — the same should be done to their 
soldiers. To retaliate, the British government imprisoned 
double the number of American officers with the same threat. 
This measure was also in turn retaliated by the Americans. 

"What did Alexander of Russia volunteer to do at this time? 

What course taken by America? 

What did England prefer ? 

To what place did the American embassadors repair ? 

(1) Where is it? 

What did congress do in May 1813 ? Why? 

What duties laid ? Why ? 

What loan authorized ? 

Who imprisoned this year by the British ? 

Who by the Americans ? ' Why ? 

How retaliated? 



MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION. 323 

Embargo and other acts. Their object. Repeal. Success of the Americans. 

However, an exchange of all the prisoners, except the first 
forty, soon took place. 

In December, 1813, an embargo upon exports, and a non- 
importation act were passed by Congress, prohibiting more 
completely British manufactures. 

America laid these restrictions on commerce with Eng- 
land, in the hope that they would force her to acknowledge 
the rights of America, for as Bonaparte had closed so many 
of the European ports against England, it was very detri- 
mental to her, to have American ports also closed. 

This measure failed of its object. And as soon as Bo- 
naparte was exiled to St. Helena, in April, 1814, and the 
ports of Europe were again opene'd to England, America 
repealed the embargo and non-importation act. The cam- 
paign of this year was highly important, though little was 
done, by either army, during the early part of it. 

When peace was generally restored among the European 
powers. Great Britain adopted two modes of conducting the 
war in America. One was to attack the sea coast. The 
other, to conquer the territory adjacent to Canada. For the 
accomplishment of these objects, she embarked for Canada 
fourteen thousand men, many of them the soldiers who had 
been in Wellington's army, and a strong naval force to 
blockade and ravage the coast from Maine to Georgia. But 
the same divine Providence which rendered successful the 
struggle for Independence, was now exerted for the preser- 
vation of the republic. Early in July 1814, General Brown 
took fort Erie. The garrison, consisting of one hundred 
men, yielded without resistance. And soon after, he came 
to an open engagement with the English near the Chippe- 
wa, a river emptying into the Niagara, a little north of fort 



What acts passed congress December, 1813 ? 

For what end ? 

When and why were they repealed? 

What is said of the campaign of 1814 ? 

On the restoration of peace to Europe, what appears to have been 

the designs of Great Britain in reference to the war ? 
"What did she do to accomplish these ends ? 
What fort taken by General Brown, July, 1814 ? 
What engagement soon after ? 



324 SCHOOL HISTOEY. 



Battles at Bridgevvater and Fort Erie. 



Erie. The American forces were but partially acquainted 
with military service. Some had never been in an engage- 
ment. But they exhibited great bravery. The British 
were veterans, who had fought under Wellington, and were 
thought to be almost invincible — and were nearly a third 
stronger in numbers. After one of the most bloody battles 
ever fought in the United States, the English were routed, 
and fled in the greatest disorder to their entrenchments. 
The loss of the British was five hundred and fourteen, 
killed, wounded and prisoners, that of the Americans three 
hundred and twenty-eight. 

A battle yet more sanguinary was fought at Bridgewater 
or Niagara, on the 25th, in which the Americans, though 
victorious, were unable to remove the artillery, left by the 
enemy ; and taking advantage of this circumstance, the En- 
glish returned, after they were sure the Americans were 
gone from the field, and taking possession of these trophies, 
claimed the victory in their dispatches to the British gov- 
ernment. The loss of the Americans, in killed, wounded 
and missing, amounted to eight hundred and sixty, while 
that of the English was eight hundred and seventy-eight. 
The greatest bravery was exhibited on both sides. 

" The American army now reduced to one thousand six 
hundred retired to Fort Erie, and, anticipating an attack 
from the enemy, entrenched themselves- On the 15th of 
August, the British advanced in three columns to the num- 
ber of five thousand, to storm the fort. The right and left 
columns were repeatedly repulsed. But the centre column, 



How much stronger the English than the Americans ? 

Which victorious ? 

What the loss of the British ? Of the Americans ? 

When was the battle at Bridgewater ? 

Give an account of it. 

When was the battle at Fort Erie ? 

Give an account of it. 

To what number was the American army now reduced? 

To what place did they retire ? 

How large the British army which was brought against them? 

With what success ? 



MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION. 326 

British fleet in the Chesapeake. 

after a bloody conflict, scaled the walls and possessed 
themselves of the bastion. While Drummond, the leader 

of this column, was crying with an oath, ' give these 

Yankees no quarters — ' a barrel of powder, providentially, 
blew up, and bastion, assailants and beseiged were together 
hurled into the air. The enemy fled in terror, but they 
were thinned as they passed the artillery of the Americans." 
In September, a sortie was made from Fort Erie, and the 
brigade of the British, who were on duty, were completely 
surprised. The works of the enemy were destroyed, a 
great quantity of artillery and ammunition taken, and one 
thousand of the British killed, wounded or taken prisoners. 
The Americans lost in this victory about a third of their 
number, which, however, was small. 

The British fleet in the Chesapeake, which had been 
augmented by the arrival of forces under Admiral Cochran, 
was divided into three parts. One under the command of 
Cochran sailed up the Patuxent — one under Gordon pro- 
ceeded up the Potomac, and the other under Sir Peter Par- 
ker went farther up the Chesapeake toward Baltimore. 

On the 19th of August, Ross, with five thousand men 
sent out by Britain, " to destroy and lay waste such towns 
and districts upon the coast, as might be found assailable," 
proceeded along the right bank of the Patuxent, to co-ope- 
rate with Cochran, in the destruction of the American gun 
boats, which were blockaded in the Patuxent. But the 
Americans foreseeing their design, blew up their boats, and 
retreated. 

The British under Ross now approached Washington, 
until they met the few American troops stationed in this 



What caused the British finally to retreat in disorder ? 

What victory in September ? 

How many of the British killed, wounded, or taken pristf 

What accession to the British fleet in the Chesapeake ? 

How divided ? 

By whom commanded? 

To what place did each proceed ? 

For what purpose was Ross sent over ? 

Where did the British under Ross now proceed ? 

Whom did they meet on their way ? (4) Where is it ? 

28 



326 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Battle at Bladensburg. 



vicinity, near Bladensburg-, where a battle ensued, on the 
24th of August ; but the enemy, from the vast superiority 
of their numbers, were victorious, and entered the capitol 
of the nation. They there acted over the deeds of the 
middle ages, in demolishing every work of literature and 
g^rt upon which they could lay their hands. The destruc- 
tion of public property at Washington by these Modern 
Goths, amounted to one million of dollars. Had they de- 
stroyed only that which pertained to war, their victory had 
been unsullied in the eye of Europe and America. 

The inhabitants of Alexandria also, on the 27th of Au- 
gust, surrendered their merchandize and shipping to Gordon, 
who had sailed up the Potomac. The British soon after, 
attacking Baltimore, were repulsed, and obliged to retreat. 

In the mean time, Commodore Hardy, with a large fleet, 
made an attack upon the coast of Maine, taking posses- 
sion of Eastport, and a large extent of territory on the 
west side of Passamaquoddy Bay. The English, soon 
after, took possession of the country east of the Penobscot, 
and opened a communication between New Brunswick and 
Canada. 

In September, the British army in Canada, being re-in- 
forced by another body of those troops who had served 
under Lord Wellington, Sir George Provost formed the 
design of attacking America, at the same point, at which 
Burgoyne had failed of success. Like him he issued a 



What was the result of the engagement ? 

Where did Ross then go ? 

(4 & 2) On what river is it h 

What did the British do there? 

By what was their victory sullied ? 

When did Alexandria surrender? (4) Where. is it ? 

AVhat had Commodore Hardy ejected during this time? 

With how many ships ? 

How many men ? 

(2) Where are these places ? 

Of what did the English afterwards possess themselves? 

What did Prevost attempt in September? 



MADISON'S A.DMINISTRATION. S^t 

Battle at Lake Ohamplain. Naval engagements. 

proclamation of his strength, and like him was humbled 
by a Mightier Power. With fourteen thousand men he 
marched upon Plattsburg, where General Macomb was 
stationed with only two thousand Americans. Prevost, 
feeling sure of his prey, delayed to capture Macomb's forces, 
until the 11th of September, when the victory of the 
Americans on Lake Champlain put it out of his power — 
the Americans having in the mean time increased their 
forces. 

The English squadron on the lake, consisted of a frigate 
of thirty-nine guns, a brig of sixteen, two sloops of eleven, 
and several galleys — having in all ninety-five guns, and 
one thousand men. It was commanded by Commodore 
Dovvnie. 

The American squadron could number but eight hundred 
and sixty men, and eighty-six guns. It was under the 
command of Commodore Macdonough whose unwearied 
efforts had augmented it to that respectable size. It was 
anchored in the bay when the British fleet hove in sight. 
The Saratoga and Confidence commenced the engage- 
ment. The contest soon became general, was severe, and 
lasted an hour and a half. The Americans sunk three 
galleys, and captured a frigate, brig, and two sloops of war. 
Some of the enemy's galleys escaped. 

Prevost now made his attack upon the American army ; 
but it was too late. His assault, therefore, proving fruitless, 
he decamped, leaving behind large quantities of ammuni- 



When was the battle on Lake Champlain, and at Plattsburg ? 

With how many troops did he march against Plattsburg? 

How long did he delay to capture Macomb ? 

Of what did the English squadron on the lake consist ? 

Under w^honi ? 

Of what did the American squadron consist ? 

By whom commanded? 

How many galleys were sunk by the Americans ? 

What did they capture ? 

AVhat was the result of Prevost's assault upon Macomb ? 

What did he do ? 

What did he leave behind ? 



328 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Porter's bravery. 



tion and military stores. Few battles have evinced more 
bravery on the part of American seamen and soldiers. 

While these events were taking place on Lake Cham- 
plain, others no less important took place on the ocean. 

Commodore Porter having sailed from the Delaware in 
the fall of 1812, cruised off the coast of South America for 
some time. But, at length, he sailed for the Pacific, where 
in 1813, he greatly harassed the British Commerce, and 
obstructed the whale fishery. He captured twelve large 
whale ships, having one hundred and seven guns in all, 
and three hundred and two men. Having sent his prizes 
into Valparaiso, in the spring of 1814, he was met by two 
British ships of the line, carrying in all, eighty-one guns, 
and five hundred men, while Commodore Porter's whole 
force consisted of but about three hundred men. Porter 
attempted to escape, but his main-top-mast being carried 
away by a squall, he anchored in a small bay, near the shore, 
supposing the English Commodore Hillyar would not at- 
tack him in a neutral port. But the British commandei 
coming up. Porter gave him so warm a reception, that he 
was forced to retreat to repair his vessels. 

The enemy soon resumed the contest, and took a posi- 
tion, out of the reach of the American ship, where by the 
aid of their long guns, they were able to do great execu- 
tion. Most of Porter's men, stationed at the guns, were 
killed. One gun was manned three times. Porter then 
endeavored to board the British vessel ; but his own ship 
had become unmanageable in consequence of the loss of 
her masts. He next tried to run her ashore, that thus he 



What was the success of Commodore Porter in 1813? 

How many whale ships did he capture ? 

By whom was he met in the spring of 1814 ? 

Of what did the British force consist ? 

Of what the American ? 

What did Commodore Porter attempt to do? 

Where did he anchor? Why? 

What did the English commander do? 

What did Porter do? 

What did the English commander do on his return? 

What did Porter do ? 

What occured next ? 



MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION. 320 

Porter's bravery. Naval battles. 

might be able lo land his men and destroy her. But an 
adverse wind bore him directly upon the destructive fire of 
the enemy. And last of all his ship caught fire. As the 
explosion of the magazine was expected, and as the boats 
had been cut to pieces, the sailors had permission to 
swim for the shore. Most of them preferred to remain 
in the ship with their commander amidst its perils and the 
raking fire of the enemy. They succeeded, however, iri 
extinguishing the flames of the Essex, and with great cool- 
ness, went to their guns again. Commodore Porter now 
desiring to confer with his officers, found to his surprise 
there was but one left. He struck his colors ; but the ene- 
my continued to fire upon him for ten minutes after. 
Throughout this bloody engagement. Porter evinced the 
most desperate v^alor. 

On the 21st of April, 1814, the United States sloop Frol- 
ic, was taken by the English frigate Orpheus, and on the 
29th of the same month, the United States sloop Peacock 
captured the English brig Epervier. The latter lost eight 
men killed — and had fifteen wounded. The former had 
but one killed and two wounded. This was followed on 
the 28th of June, by the capture of the English brig Kein- 
deer, by the Wasp. — The Wasp, having made several cap- 
tures, put into the port L'Orient, in France the 8th of July, 
and the last of August, having set sail, she fell in with the 
Avon. After a severe action, during which orders were 
given by Captain Blakely to board her, several English 
vessels hove in sight, and the Americans were thus obliged 
to abandon their prize. The Avon sunk soon after. 

On the 15th January, 1815, the United States frigate 

Why ? 

What did most of the sailors prefer to do ? 
What did the rest do ? 
How many officers at this time were left ? 
What did Porter do ? 
What capture on the 21st of April ? 
What other capture the same month ? 
How many men did the English lose t 
The Americans? 
What capture in June ? 
What engagement the 8th of July ? 
Why did the Wasp abandon her prize ? 

28=^ 



330 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Hartford Convention. Pirates. 

President was captured by a British fleet, r.ot far from 
Sandy Hook. This was the last naval engagement during 
the war. 

At the close of 1814, England required of the United 
States such ternns as lessened the hope of a speedy re- 
conciliation ; while the state of affairs in America was 
truly alarming, from the circumstance that a large number 
of her citizens were opposed to the late measures of gov- 
ernment. At this critical juncture, a convention was pro- 
posed, to take the subject into consideration, and devise 
measures for a redress of supposed grievances. " Mem- 
bers were appointed by the legislatures of Massachusetts, 
Connecticut and Rhode Island. Two members from New 
Hampshire and one from Vermont were appointed by coun- 
ty meetings ; the convention met at Hartford Connecticut, 
December 15, 1814, and sat nearly three weeks with closed 
doors. After their adjournment, they published an address, 
charging the national government with pursuing measures 
hostile to the interests of New England, and recommend- 
ing amendments to the Federal Constitution." 

The Island Barrataria, near the mouth of the Mississip- 
pi, having become the haunt of a band of outlaws, who, by 
their desperate courage, and mysterious movements, kept 
the surrounding country in constant alarm, being pirates 
by sea, and robbers by land, it became necessary to take 
measures to destroy them. When opportunity offered, they 
rushed from their concealment, committed some daring act 
of plunder or murder, and instantly disappeared. They 



What the last naval engagement during the war ? 

What terms required by England at the close of 1814 ? 

What the state of affairs in America at this time ? 

What convention ? Why ? Where ? When ? 

By what states were members appointed ? 

V/hat members by county meetings ? 

How long was their session ? 

What did they publish ? 

Who inhabited the Island of Barrataria ? 

(2) Where was it situated ? 

What their conduct ? 

Effect upon the inhabitants ? 



MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION. 331 

Pirates. Condition of their pardon. Battle of New Orleans. 

alike eluded pursuit and detection. La Fitte, their leader, 
was brave, but cunning — magnanimous, but unprincipled. 
While they pretended to sail under the Carthagenian flag, 
as privateers, they plundered everything which they dared 
to attack. 

The American government, having endeavored, in vain, 
to exterminate them, applied to the British, to unite their 
aid. But Nicholls, the English commander at Mobile, in- 
stead of co-operating with America against these enemies 
to the rights of man, endeavored to hire them to aid the 
British in an attack upon New Orleans.- From their 
knowledge of the passes, he thought they would be very 
serviceable in conducting the British to that city. But La 
Fitte WHS rather disposed to favor the Americans ; and 
having drawn from Nicholls all the important facts he could, 
disclosed them to the governor of Louisiana. Governor 
Claiborne, aware of the value of his services at the ap- 
proaching crisis, extended pardon to them all, in case they 
would aid the Americans. They readily accepted the offer, 
and were very useful to the Americans during the remain- 
der of the war. 

Jackson had informed the American government that the 
Spanish did not observe strict neutrality, but suffered the 
British to make use of the port of Fensacola, to annoy the 
Americans. He suggested the propriety of taking posses- 
sion of it. But receiving no answer, he entered it on the 
7th of November. After some opposition, he forced the 
governor of the place to surrender. The British, having 
destroyed their own forts and shipping evacuated the place. 



Who their leader ? 

What did the American government propose ? 

What did Nicholls the English commander at Mobile ? 

What did La Fitte prefer ? 

What did Governor Claiborne offer him and his band ? 

What the result ? 

Of what had Jackson informed the American government f 

What did he do ? When ? 

What did he force the governor to do ? 

What did the British do ? 



332 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Battle of New Orleans. 

And now Jackson fearing an attack upon New Or- 
leans, hastened thither. On his arrival, he found the 
inhabitants making every exertion to repel the assailahts. 
Learning that the enemy with sixty sail were off Ship 
Island, he made all possible preparation to defend the city. 
In the interim, " the enemy passed into Lake Borgne. 
Several small vessels, however, under command of Lieu- 
tenant Jones, fell in with them at one of the straits which 
connect that lake with the Ponchartrain. The British sent 
forty-three boats against the Americans. After a brave 
defence, in which Jones sunk several of the enemy's barges, 
he was obliged to surrender to their superior force. The 
loss of the American fleet, which had been thought suffi- 
cient to defend the passes, increased greatly the alarm of 
the Americans. To facilitate the work, the prisons were 
opened, and every hand employed ; the Barritarians also 
arriving at this time, contributed their aid. To regulate, 
and render efficient such a heterogeneous mass, Americans, 
Spaniards, Frenchmen, Blacks, Slaves, Prisoners and Bar- 
ritarians, General Jackson deemed it expedient to proclaim 
martial law. On the 22d of December, General Kean, with 
three thousand men, posted himself nine miles below New 
Orleans. On the 23d, General Jackson, having the co- 
operation of the Caroline, an armed vessel, attacked the 
enemy. But a thick fog coming on, he retreated to a strong- 
er position two miles nearer the city. To the skill with 
which he fortified this post, was chiefly ascribed the pre- 
setvation 6f the city. 



Where did Jackson hasten ? Why ? 

What steps had been taken by the inhabitants ? 

Where did Jackson learri the enfetny were ? 

Into what lake had th6y passed ? 

Where did Jones encounter a part of them ? 

With what success ? 

Who composed General Jackson's army ? 

What did he |*6d£lim ? 

When did he attack the enemy ? 

Why did he retreat ? Where? 

To what must the preservation of the city be ^etibftd ? 



MADISOJN'S ADMINISTRATION. 333 

Battle of New Orleans. 

In the meantime the enemy constructed a battery, by 
means of which they blew up the Caroline, which had been 
previously abandoned by the Americans. 

On the 28th, Sir Edward Packenham, with his whole 
army, attempted to force General Jackson from his position, 
but he was repulsed by broadsides from the Louisiana, and 
by the fire from the batteries, after an attack of seven hours, 
and the loss of one hundred and twenty men. While the 
loss of the Americans was only eighteen killed and woun- 
ded. 

Learning that the legislature were concerting plans to 
negotiate with the enemy, Jackson sent an order to Gover- 
nor Claiborne, to watch them, and if he found it really so, 
to post a guard at the door, and confine them. The gov- 
ernor, misunderstanding him, placed a military guard at 
the entrance, which prevented them from assembling at all. 

On the 1st of January, 1815, the enemy renewing the 
attack, were again repulsed, with loss. The army of 
General Jackson being reinforced, on the 4th of Janu- 
ary, amounted to about six thousand ; while that of the 
enemy was increased on the sixth, to fourteen thousand. 
The British, having with great labor enlarged the canal 
from Lake Borgne to the Mississippi, succeeded on the 
night of the seventh, in getting their boats through this 
passage from the lake to the river. And on the 8th Pack- 
enham's whole army advanced to storm Jackson's intrench- 
ments. 

They were met by a brisk fire from the American batte- 
ries. The British, however, advanced slowly, but firmly 



What became of the Caroline ? 

What did Packenham attempt on the 28th ? 

With what success ? 

How many were lost on each side ? 

What order did Jackson send to Claiborne? 

What was the result of it ? 

What did the enemy attempt on the 1st of January ? 

With what success ? 

How large was his army on the 4th ? 

How large was that of the enemy on the 6th ? 

What did the British do on the 7th ? On the 8th ? 

How were they met ? 



534 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Battle of New Orleans. Peace. 

with their fascines and scaling ladders. But when they 
came within reach of the riflemen, they were shot down in 
great numbers, by these experienced marksmen, each being 
sure of his man. As soon as each one had discharged his 
rifle, he was immediately furnished with another loaded 
by a soldier from behind. In this way, the plain was 
soon strewed with the dead. The English were thus ar- 
rested in their course, and fell back in confusion. Advanc- 
ing a second time, they were repulsed as before by this 
deadly fire from the American entrenchment. Packenham 
was mortally wounded. Closing up, however, a second 
time, they made a third attempt to carry the American 
works, with more determined valor than before ; but in vain. 
Generals Kean and Gibbs were now both carried oflf wound- 
ed, and the enemy retired in so great disorder — that to rally 
them again was impracticable. The loss of the Americans 
in this engagement was thirteen — that of the enemy two 
thousand six hundred. The force, however, which had 
been stationed on the opposite side of the river, was inglo- 
riously put to flight by the enemy." 

Amid the rejoicings consequent upon this providential 
deliverance — news arrived on the 17th of February, of a 
treaty of peace concluded at Ghent, in December previous. 
It stipulated that all places, taken during the war, should 
be restored, and that the boundaries between the British 
and American dominion should be revised. But it con- 
tained no abandonment of the assumed right to impress 
British seamen from American ships. 

Yet as the motives for impressment ceased with the Eu- 
ropean wars, some of the causes of the war with Great 
Britain ceased also. If nothing for which the war was 
declared, was secured in the treaty, the British had become 
convinced of the danger of new insults and oppressions. 



What was the result of the first attack of the British ? 

Of the second ? Ot the third ? 

What was the loss of the Americans in this battle ? 

Of the British ? 

When did news of peace arrive ? 

What the provisions of the treaty ? 

What was secured by this war to Americ" ' 



MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION. 335' 

Naval battlea. Keflectiona. Attack on Algiers., 

After the news of peace with Great Britain, intelligence 
arrived of the capture of the Cyane, Levant and Penguin, 
by American vessels. The two former by the Constitution, 
off the Island of Madeira — the latter, by the Hornet, off the 
coast of Brazil. 

Thus ended a war, which was very expensive to both 
nations, and which added but little to the glory of either. 
But alas ! it made many widows and many orphans in 
both hemispheres, and caused an amount of suffering, for 
which all the benefits to either party were a poor compen- 
sation. Such have been the almost universal results of 
belligerent operations. But the time will come, the prayer 
of the philanthropist and christian is, that it may come 
speedily, when " swords shall be beat into ploughshares, 
and spears into pruning hooks, and men learn war no 
more." 

Soon after this, America engaged in war against Algiers,^ 
for having violated the treaty of 1795. A marine force 
was dispatched to the Mediterranean, under the command 
of Decatur. On the 17th of June, a frigate, and two days 
after, an Algerine brig of twenty-two guns, were captured. 
The Dey of Algiers, alarmed at the success of the Ameri- 
can arms, was soon induced to sign a treaty of peace. 
From Algiers, Decatur proceeded to Tunis and Tripoli; 
where he obtained indemnification for injuries inflicted by 
those powers. " These hordes of pirates, long the terror of" 
the christian world, were more effectually humbled by the 
Americans than ever by any other power, and have since 
respected our commerce, and our flag." 

At the close of the war, the attention of the Americans 



What news received, after the declaration of peace ? 

What reflections on the close of the war? 

What war declared about this time ? Why ?• 

Who was dispatcl)ed to the Mediterranean ? 

What capture on the 17th of June ? 

What two days after ? 

What effect did this success produce upon the Dey of Algiers ?• 

To what othqr places did Decatur repair ? 



336 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Bank. Indiana. ~-" Tariff. Monroe. 

was again turned to internal improvements, commerce and 
manufactures. 

In 1816, congress re-established the national bank, which 
by the expiration of its charter, had ceased in 1810. This 
measure was designed to relieve the pecuniary embarrass- 
ments of the country and to give new credit and activity to 
the circulating medium. Under the new charter it was to 
continue twenty-one years, with a capital of thirty-five mil- 
lions of dollars. 

In September of this year. General Jackson held a treaty 
with the Chickasaws, Choctaws, and Cherokees, purchas- 
ing their lands, much to the security and safety of the fron- 
tier settlements. 

Indiana was admitted to the union at the close of this 
year. 

The demand for cotton goods having been greatly in- 
creased, by reason of the embarrassments, to which com- 
merce became subjected, a large amount of capital had been 
vested in manufactories. But England, having made great 
improvements in manufactures, was able, at the close of the 
war, to sell her goods at a much lower rate than the Amer- 
icans could theirs. Hence England filled the American 
market with her fabrics to the exclusion of those of domes- 
tic manufacture. This for a time caused a deep depression, 
and led to a revision of the tariff. 

In 1817, Mr. Madison's term of service expired. He 
was succeeded by Mr. Monroe. During this year, the In- 
dians of Ohio sold a considerable quantity of land in that 
■late to the United States. 



To what was attention turned at the close of the war ? 

What did congress do in 1816 ? 

What purchase of the Indians ? 

What state admitted to the union ? 

(2) How is it bounded ? 

What was done by the Enghsh ? 

What the result ? 

Who succeeded to the presidency ? When ? 

What accession of land this year to the United States ? 



MONROE'S ADMINISTRATION. 337 

Mississippi. Improvements. War. General Jackson. 

Mississippi, having the requisite number of inhabitants, 
formed a state government, and was admitted to the union. 

Two great enterprises were this year commenced for 
facihtating internal commerce. One was that of connect- 
ing the waters of the Hudson River, with Lake Erie, by a 
canal : the other, that of connecting Lake Champlain with 
the Hudson. Both were undertaken by New York, and 
have already secured important beneiSts to that state, and 
indeed to the country. 

In 1818, the United States commenced a war with the 
Seminole Indians, occupying lands bordering on the Unit- 
ed States and Florida, mostly within the dominions of 
Spain. This tribe had evinced a spirit hostile to the fron- 
tier settlements. 

General Jackson, having been dispatched for the protec- 
tion of the Southern frontier, after several skirmishes, de- 
feated and scattered them. But finding the Spaniards ac- 
tive in exciting the Indians, and furnishing them the ne- 
cessary supplies, he entered Florida and took possession of 
Fensacola and fort St. Marks. Finding two Englishmen 
here, Arbuthnot and Ambrister, against whom strong sus- 
picions were entertained, that they were guilty of exciting 
the enemy, he took them prisoners, and brought them to 
trial, before a court martial. The court found them guilty 
of " Exciting the Creek Indians to war against the United 
States, themselves subjects of Great Britain, with whom the 
United States were at peace," — also guilty of " aiding, 
abetting and comforting the enemy."- — One was sentenced 
to be hung, and the other to be shot. This was differently 



What state admitted to the union ? 
(2) How bounded ? 
What canals commenced ? 
(2) In what direction do they run ? 
What war in 1818 ? 

Who was dispatched for the protection of the Southern frontier ? 
With what success ? 

Of what Spanish fort and city did he take possession ? Why ? 
Whom did he take prisoners ? Why ? 
Of what were they found guilty ? 
What sentence did he pronounce upon them ? 
29 



338 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

General Jackson. Illinois. Treaties. Pension. 

viewed by the different parties, the one condemning, the 
other approving it. 

Jackson justified himself in thus carrying war into the 
Spanish provinces, on the plea that Spain had not (accord- 
ing to her treaty) kept a sufficient force in the vicinity to 
restrain the hostile Indians, and afford protection to the 
American frontier settlements. Congress, on the whole, 
justified his proceedings, in both cases. The Indians were 
soon made willing to be peaceable, and the difficulty with 
Spain was adjusted. Pensacola and St. Marks were re- 
stored. 

Illinois, having the requisite number of inhabitants, was 
admitted to the union. 

This year, several treaties were made with different na- 
tions. One with Great Britain, in which the Northern 
boundaries of the United States, from the Lake of the 
Woods to the Stony Mountains were fixed. Another was 
a treaty of commerce with Sweden. And a third was con- 
cluded with the Chickasaws, by which all their land West 
of the Tennessee River, in the states of Kentuckj?-, and 
Tennessee, were ceded to the United States. Congress, 
this year, passed an act, in favor of the needy survivers 
of the revolutionary army. By this act, they were allowed 
a pension, which was the means of restoring many a wor- 
thy patriot from the almshouse to competency and com- 
fort. An appropriation of ten thousand dollars was, in 1819, 
made by the government to establish schools among the 

How was this sentence viewed by the two parties ? 

How did Jackson justify himself in thus carrying war into the 

Spanish provinces ? 
How did congress view the procedure ? 
What effect did it produce upon the Indians ? 
What places afterwards restored to Spain ? 
What state this year admitted to the union ? 
What treaty concluded ? 
What its stipulations ? 
What other treaty ? 
Its object ? 

What one with the Indians ? 
Its conditions ? 

What provisions made by congress this year ? 
What appropriation ? 



MONROE'S ADMINISTRATION. 339 

Mabama. Treaty. Maine. Slavery. 

Indians of the United States, and to aid in their civiliza- 
tion. This was an act of justice, calculated to benefit 
those whose soil we inherit. 

Alabama was admitted to the union, and Arkansaw Ter- 
ritory separated from Missouri, and erected into a territorial 
government, during the same period. A treaty was nego- 
tiated at Washington, between the Spanish minister and 
our secretary of state, John Q. Adams, by which Florida 
was ceded to the United States. The executive and the 
senate ratified this treaty ; but the Spanish king, at first, 
refused to give it his signature ; but, at length, consenting, 
he signed it in October, 1820. 

In 1820, Maine was separated from Massachusetts, and 
admitted to the union, as one of the states. It had till this 
time been under the government of Massachusetts since 
the revolution. Another highly important act of the same 
year, prohibited slavery throughout the territory of the 
United States, north of 36"^ 30' north latitude. A large 
portion of our whole territory, therefore, can never be made 
to suffer the evils of that traffic which, in the south, is so 
general. 

Several events of importance took place in 1821. Mr. 
Monroe was re-elected president, and Mr. Tompkins, vice 
president of the United States. Florida was purchased 
and became a separate government, as one of the United 
States territories. 

The ports of the West India Islands were opened to the 
United States by act of parliament, and a treaty of com- 
merce was concluded between the United States and France. 
Articles were signed by England and America, by which 
they mutually agreed, that it should be lawful for either to 



AVTiat state admitted to the union ? 

"What state the next year ? 

What bill passed congress ? 

What state admitted to the union in 1820 ? 

Who elected president ? 

Who vice-president ? 

What separate government formed in 1821 ? 

What act of parliament this year ? 

What treaty with France ? 

What articles signed by England and America ? 



340 SCHOOL HISTOEY. 



Missouri. Pirates. 

capture and condemn the ships of the other found in the 
nefarious slave traffic. 

Missouri had petitioned for admission into the union 
the previous year. But in the petition was a provision, 
requiring the legislature to prevent free negroes and mulat- 
toes from coming and settling in the state. This called 
forth vv^arm opposition in congress, but after much debate 
it was decided that it should be admitted on condition that 
every free citizen of the country should enjoy within the 
territory of that state all the rights of citizenship. Her 
legislature assented to this condition on the 24th of June, 
and the president issued a declaration, according to the act 
of the previous congress, declaring her an independent 
state, on the 10th of August. 

The American commerce in the West Indies, had long 
been obstructed by the depredations of pirates, who seized 
upon all property without distinction, not only robbing but 
even murdering those whom they attacked. The United 
States schooner Alligator, on entering the harbor of Matan- 
zas, was informed that these pirates had captured two 
'American vessels, which were then anchored near. The 
Alligator hastening to their relief, came to an action, in 
which she was victorious, re-capturing these and three other 
American vessels and taking a piratical schooner. 

The attention of the country was loudly called to this 
subject. It was ascertained that swarms of pirates, making 
the Island of Cuba their rendezvous, rendered it dangerous 
for vessels to enter or leave Havana, and on the following 
year congress fitted out an expedition under Commodore 
Porter, for the express purpose of suppressing piracies, and 
protecting American commerce in those parts. This en- 



When was Missouri admitted to the union ? 

(2) How is it bounded ? 

What is its capitol ? 

"What discussion about its admission ? 

How decided ? 

What capture by the Alligator ? 

What the previous depredations of these pirates? 

What Island did they make their rendezvous ? 

What was done to check them in 1823 ? 



MONROE'S ADMINISTRATION. 341 

Manufactures. La Fayette. 

terprise was successful, and proved highly beneficial. It 
nearly freed the West Indies from this nuisance. 

The subject of greater protection to our manufactories 
had been for several years pressed on the attention of con- 
gress, especially by the north. It was found impossible to 
compete successfully with the English, in manufacturing 
fine goods. The home market was well supplied with cot- 
tons of a coarse quality ; and some such clothes were sent 
to South America. A few establishments for printing cal- 
ico, and a few for the manufacture of lace had been com- 
menced. To protect these and other manufactories a new 
tariff law was passed in 1824. As a consequence of this 
act, manufacturing companies were greatly multiplied, and 
articles were produced of a much better quality and in 
greater abundance. 

In August of this year, a very interesting event took 
place. General La Fayette embarked for the United States, 
the scene of his early trials and benevolent efforts, and ar- 
rived at New York, having been invited to visit the country 
by the president in behalf of the nation. He was invited 
to take passage in a national ship. This, however, he de- 
clined. He visited every part of the country, and every- 
where received from a grateful people, the most sincere 
tokens of respect, honor and affection. He returned to 
France, the next year, 1825. Before his departure, how- 
ever, congress voted him two hundred thousand dollars and 
a township of land in Florida, as a token of gratitude for 
his important services in the war of the revolution. The 
Brandywine, so named in memory of the battle in which 
he was wounded, was dispatched to convey him to his na- 
tive land. 

The administration of Mr. Monroe, generally, was mar- 
ked by the highest degree of peace and national prosperity. 
The national debt was lessened sixty millions — the Flori- 

With what success ? 

What passed by congress in 1824 ? Why ? 
What distinguished foreigner arrived at New York this year? 
At whose invitation did he come ? 
"What his reception ? 
What did congress vote him ? 
How did he return ? 

What was the character of Mr. Monroe's administration ? 
29^ 



342 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Excitement in Georgia about the Indian claims. 



das amicably acquired — the western limits. fixed at the Pa- 
cific Ocean — the military establishment reduced, and the 
army re-organized. 

Considerable excitement, however, began in Georgia, 
during 1824, with regard to a removal of the Indians. 
Efforts to raise an excitement against the general govern- 
ment were made by some of the leading men. The Creek 
Indians inhabited lands adjacent to Georgia, which the 
United States in 1802 had ceded to that State, to be taken 
possession of, as soon as they could be peaceably obtained 
from the Creeks, on reasonable terms. Subsequent to that 
treaty, the United States had obtained from the Creeks 
fifteen million acres which had already been conveyed to 
Georgia. There still remained in that State nine million 
five hundred and thirty-seven thousand acres in possession of 
the original occupants ; five million two hundred and 
ninety-two thousand in possession of the Cherokees 
and four million two hundred and forty-five thou- 
sand in possession of the Creeks. Before the termina- 
tion of Mr. Monroe's administration, Georgia became 
very urgent for the removal of the Indians. And although 
most of the Creeks themselves were averse to the measure, 
a few of the chiefs were induced to conclude a treaty ceding 
to the United States, all their lands, claimed by Georgia. 
Supposing this the voice of the whole nation. Congress rat- 
ified the treaty. But a large majority of the tribe were 
strongly opposed to the treaty, regarding it illegal, having 
been made by a small number without the concurrence of 
a majority. It was on the score of this illegal treaty, that 
Georgia laid claim to the land of the Creeks. Congress, 



Its eflfects ? 

What excitement in Georgia in 1824 ? 

What its cause ? 

What lands did the United States obtain from the Creeks between 

the years 1802 and 1825 ? 
By what means ? 
What did Georgia desire very much before the termination of Mr. 

Monroe's administration ? 
How did the Creeks feel respecting the measure ? 
What did they do ? 
Why did Georgia lay claim to the land of the Creeks ? 



MONROE'S ADMINISTRATION. 343 

Plan for removing the Indians. Appropriations. Spanish Colonies in S. A. 

however, persisted in protecting the Creeks until they vol- 
untarily transferred the disputed territory to the United 
States. This gave great dissatisfaction to Governor Troop 
and others in that state. 

Government did not confine its efforts to the Indians of 
the south ; hut concerted measures, by which to restore 
peace between the various tribes of Indians inhabiting the 
north-western frontier ; many of whom had been engaged 
in exterminating each other for nearly half a century. 
The respective boundary lines, the principal ground of 
these hostilities, were through the intervention of the Uni- 
ted States' agents, peaceably adjusted after a fortnight's 
discussion. About the same time, measures were con- 
templated by government for removing the Indian tribes 
scattered through the several states, to a tract of country 
west of the Mississippi ; and to amalgamate them there in- 
to one nation ; and thus to prevent their extermination. 
But the Indians generally evinced a great unwillingness 
to embrace these views, preferring to remain where they 
were. Notwithstanding this, Government set apart a 
territory west of the Mississppi, beyond the states and 
territories ; for the exclusive abode of such individuals 
among the various tribes, as might be induced to emigrate. 
It was hoped hereafter to amalgamate them, when circum- 
stances should render it practicable, and the consent of 
the tribes could be obtained. 

The sum of one million dollars was appropriated for 
civilizing the aborigines, and for the fulfilment of treaties 
made with them. An appropriation of twenty thousand 
for the relief of the Florida Indians, was also made. 

Considerable interest was felt in the "contest between 
Spain and her colonies, several of which had declared 



What was the cause of the dissatisfaction of Governor Troop and 

others of the state of Georgia at this time ? 
What measures concerted by government ? 
With what success ? 

What attempted about this time by government ? Why ? 
How did the Indians regard this plan? 
What did government then do ? 
With what hope ? 

What appropriations by congress this year ? 
What contest was viewed with interest at this time ? 



844 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Congress at Panama. Improvements. Learning. 

their independence, though no part had been taken by the 
United States in the contest between them and Spain, 
from whom those colonies had revoked. 

A treaty was made between Columbia and Peru in 
1822, providing among other things for a general meeting 
of the South American states for the purpose of strength- 
ening their friendly relations, and also to serve as a Com- 
mon Council in the existing conflict, and as an umpire to 
settle any differences that might arise among them. Trea- 
ties were, accordingly made, during that and the three 
succeeding years, with Columbia, Chili, Guatemala and 
Mexico. The isthmus of Panama was designated as the 
place of meeting. The threatening aspect of the Holy 
Alliance having induced President Monroe to declare that 
the United States would not view with indifference any 
interference on their part in the contest between Spain and 
her former colonies, they regarded this country as having 
in a measure espoused their cause, and consequently inti- 
mated their wish that ministers should be sent by the 
United States government to attend a Congress at Pana- 
ma. The United States complied, after a long debate in 
Congress, and dispatched ministers to attend the proposed 
meeting. This measure was warmly opposed by some, 
while others were highly in favor of it. 

Internal improvements made rapid advances, in several 
of the preceding as well as succeeding years. The sub- 
ject of education was not forgotten. Nothing certainly is 
more worthy of improvement, than our systems of popular 
instruction. Many powerful minds werefound enlisted in 
the subject. They pointed to the evils which must result 
from increasing ignorance in the common people, and con- 
secrated their powerful influence to produce reform. The 
results furnish ground of strong encouragement and hope. 



What treaty in 1822 ? Why ? 

What its provisions ? 

What other treaties soon after ? 

Where was the place of meeting ? 

What wish intimated by the South American republics ? Why 

With what success ? 

What done at this time for education and internal improvement ? 



ADAMS'S ADMINISTRATION. 345 



J. Q. Adams. Fire in Maine. Canals. 

Periodical literature^ as well as literary institutions, 
increased with unwonted rapidity. Lyceums, or schools 
of mutual improvement were established in various places, 
and awakened in the minds of man}?-, a thirst for knowl- 
edge, before unknown. May this interest long continue ! 

In March 1825, John Quincy Adams was elected presi- 
dent of the United States. His election was made by the 
House of Representatives, the people having failed of mak- 
ing a choice. 

Several events of local and general importance occurred 
during this year. After an unprecedented season of drought, 
an extensive conflagration of the forests in the eastern 
part of Maine, commenced in August. The fires, aided 
by strong winds, often swept along with terrific fury, 
destroying timber, fences, crops, and buildings. Many 
persons perished in the general conflagration. It has 
been said that the smoke annoyed the mariners on the 
ocean, and in some cases rendered sailing near the coasts 
dangerous, even in the day time. Objects could not be 
seen at the distance of a ship's length. Several hundred 
square miles were divested of almost every vegetable sub- 
stance on the surface of the ground. 

In September, the great canal connecting the Hudson 
River with Lake Erie, was finished. It is three hun- 
dred and sixty miles in length, and has eighty-one locks. 
The work was completed in about eight years after it was 
begun. 

Another canal of nearly equal length, was commenced 
during the year, in Ohio, to unite the Ohio river with 
Lake Erie. This furnishes inland navigation from New 
Orleans to New York, and also to the cities of Canada. 



For literature and science ? 

When was John Quincy Adams elected president ? 

Whar important event occurred in August ? 

What its effects ? 

What in September ? 

What its length ? 

How long before it was finished ? 

What other canal commenced this year ? 



346 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Death of Adams andJefferson. Treaty. Tariff. 

All the territories bordering on the lakes, are thus brought, 
as it were, into the neighborhood of the ocean. 

A canal has been completed, to unite the Hudson River 
with Lake Champlain. Two of these great works may 
be attributed to the untiring efforts of De Witt Clinton, 
then governor of New York, whose comprehensive mind 
enabled him to see clearly the vast benefits they must 
secure to that State, and even to the whole country. A 
treaty of commerce and navigation was this year conclud- 
ed between the United States and Columbia. 

On the 4th of July, 1826, which completed the fiftieth year 
from the declaration of independence, two of the ex-presi- 
dents of the United States, were removed from time to 
eternity. John Adams of Massachusetts, and Thomas 
Jefferson of Virginia. They were men whose influence 
had been exceedingly powerful in procuring the freedom 
of the country, and establishing the constitution of the 
United States. Mr. Jefferson drafted the Declaration of 
Independence. Both lived for half a century, to enjoy 
the rich fruits of their labors, and then were called from 
earth, amidst the festivities of the birth-day of freedom. 

A treaty of peace between the United States, and Swe- 
den and Norway, was concluded in July, 1827. Efforts 
were also made, which terminated in treaties the following 
year, to secure more favorable commerce with other 
nations. 

An effort was made in Congress during its session, at 
the close of 1827, and commencement of 1828, to have a 
new tariff, which would more effectually aid manufac- 
turing establishments. Much opposition was manifested 
to the measure, but in May a majority were found in fa- 
vor of it, and a bill was passed, laying additional duties on 



"What its object and extent ? 

To whose efforts are these great works to be attributed ? 

What treaty this year ? 

When did Adams and Jefferson die ? 

What is said of them ? 

What treaty July 1827 ? 

What effort in Congress this and the following year respecting the 

tariff? 
Its object ? Success ? 



JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 347 

Pension bill. Anti-masonry. Jackson, President. 

" wool, woolens, iron, lead, hemp, and its fabrics ; distilled 
spirits, molasses, silk stuffs, window glass, and cottons." 

In 1828, treaties of commerce with the republics of Lu- 
bec, Hamburg and Bremen ; and also with Brazil and Rus- 
sia, were concluded. 

An act was passed in Congress, granting a larger pen- 
sion to the survivors of the Revolutionary army, and one in 
behalf of the orphans and widows of those officers who had 
been slain in the army of the United States. Also an act, 
making further provisions for suppressing the slave-trade. 
The tendency of the latter act has been very beneficial, 
though it has not, it is presumed, entirely checked it. 

In the latter part of this year, a new political party made 
considerable progress in the western part of New York, 
and rapidly gained numbers and influence in other parts 
of the country. The origin of the party was the abduc- 
tion and supposed murder of one William Morgan, who 
had written a book containing the secrets of Freemasonry. 
It was found impossible to bring the perpetrators to jus- 
tice, and many were found ready to unite under the ban- 
ner of Anti-masonry, and to prostrate the whole Masonic 
institution. 

During the year 1829, General Andrew Jackson suc- 
ceeded Mr. Adams as President of the United States. 
Several acts were passed in the early part of the year for 
promoting internal improvements. 

President Jackson rendered the commencement of his 
administration conspicuous by the removal from office, of 
most of those who had been opposed to his election, and 
over whose appointment, the executive has control. This 
measure was exceedingly popular with the party who ele- 



What treaties in 1828 ? 

What act of congress ? - . 

What other act ? 

What political party had its origin this year ? 
What the cause of its formation ? 
When was Jackson elected president ? 

How did he render the commeneement of his administration con- 
spicuous ? 



348 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Nullification. Enquiry respecting tlie Federal Constitution. 

vated him to the presidency, but met with bitter opposition 
and invective, from the party who had supported Mr. 
Adams. 

Anti-Masonry made considerable progress during 1829, 
and in some counties was so far successful, that all officers 
on that ticket were elected. A large vote for state officers 
was secured by the party in several of the states. 

The people of the southern states were generally opposed 
to the tariff of 1828, and in 1829, evinced a high degree 
of hostility to it. A determination not to submit to it, 
was made by some leading politicians, and the right to 
nullify acts of Congress, was openly maintained by large 
numbers. In this excitement. South Carolina took the 
lead. Her representatives and Senators in Congress, at 
first intimated the intention of resigning their seats, if the 
tariff passed. The following condensed statement of the 
course pursued, is given in the American Annual Reg- 
ister. A meeting of the delegation was held at Wash- 
ington with the view of deciding upon the steps which 
should be taken. This proposition was discussed, together 
with that of declaring the law to be void and of no effect 
within the state, and the chances of a successful resistance 
to the Federal Government were freely canvassed. 

The delegation, however, did not concur in adopting 
violent measures, and it was determined to endeavor upon 
their return home, to rouse their constituents to a more ef- 
fectual opposition to the protecting system. No exertions- 
were spared to excite public feeling against the tariff law. 
It was denounced as a measure local in its character, par- 
tial and oppressive in its operation, and unconstitutional in 
principle. 

They did not stop here, but began to question the right 
of the Federal Government to require obedience, and 



With whom was this course popular ? 

By whom opposed ? 

What the progress of Anti-masonry in 1829 ? 

How did the people of the southern states regard the tariff of 1828 ? 

What did they do in 1829 ? 

Which state took the lead in this opposition ? 

What meeting held at Washington ? 

What was done ? 



JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION. S49 

Nullification. Attitude of South Carolina in regard to Congress. 

almost simultaneously with the legislature of Georgia, de- 
termined to submit only to their own construction of the 
Federal Compact. The senate of South Carolina appoint- 
ed a committee to inquire into the powers of the Federal 
Governmennt, in reference to certain subjects then 
agitated. 

The report of this committee, received the sanction of 
the state legislature. It asserted that the Federal Con- 
stitution was a compact originally formed, not between 
the people of the United States at large, but between the 
people of the different states as distinct and independent 
sovereignties ; and that when any violation of the letter 
or spirit of that compact took place, it was not only the 
right of the people, but of the state legislatures to remon- 
strate against it; that the Federal Government was 
responsible to the people whenever it abused or injudi- 
ciously exercised power entrusted to it, and that it was re- 
sponsible to the state legislatures, whenever it assumed 
powers not conferred. Admitting that, under the Consti- 
tution, a tribunal was appointed to decide controversies, 
where the United States was a party, the report contended 
that some questions must occur between the United States 
and the individual states, which it would be unsafe to sub- 
mit to any judicial tribunal. The Supreme Court had al- 
ready manifested an undue bearing in favor of the Federal 
Government; and when the Constitution was violated in 
its spirit, and not literally, there was peculiar propriety in a 
state legislature's undertaking to decide for itself, inasmuch 
as the Constitution had not provided any remedy. 

The report then proceeded to declare all legislation for 
the protection of domestic manufactures to be unconsti- 
tutional, as being in favor of a local interest, and that Con- 
gress had no power to legislate except upon subjects of 
general interest. The power to construct roads and canals 
within the limits of a state, or to appropriate money for 

What committee appointed by the Senate of South Carolina ? 
What its report ? 
By whom sanctioned ? 

What did the report declare with regard to legislation to protect 
domestic manufactures ? 



350 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Protest. Nullification in Georgia. 

that purpose, was also denounced as unconstitutional, as 
was all legislation for the purpose of meliorating the con- 
dition of the free colored or the slave population of the 
United States. 

On this last topic, it was intimated that no reasoning 
could take place between the United States and South 
Carolina. It was a question of feeling, too intimately con- 
nected with their tranquility and safety to be discussed. 

In remonstrating against these violations of the Consti- 
tution, the state would appear as a sovereign, and not as 
a suppliant before the national legislature, and resolutions 
expressive of the approbation of the state legislature of 
these principles, having passed both houses, they were 
transmitted with the report, to the delegation in Congress, 
to be laid before that body, then engaged in the considera- 
tion of the tariff. 

That tariff having passed, the South Carolina State 
Legislature at the next session, sanctioned a protest against 
it as unconstitutional, oppressive and unjust, which was 
transmitted to their senators in Congress to be entered upon 
the Journal of the Senate. This was done on the 10th of 
February, 1829. The change which took place in the Fed- 
eral Government caused a belief that some satisfactory 
modification would be made of the tariff; and during the 
summer of 1829, the excitement appeared to be directed 
less against the administration and more concentrated 
against the law itself. The doctrine, however, of the right 
of a state to nullify an act of Congress was not relinquish- 
ed, although it seemed to be concluded that it would behest 
to attempt first to procure the repeal of the obnoxious law. 
In these opinions, the state government of Georgia fully 
concurred. As a measure of policy, the tariff was equally 
unpopular ; the controversy respecting the Indians had been 
carried to such a length, as to bring the state into colision 

What else was denounced as unconstitutional ? 

What was transmitted in connection with this report to congress ? 

What opposition did the state legislature make to the tariff after it 

was passed by congress ? 
When did South Carolina publish her protest? 
What was expected from the change in the administration ? 
How was the excitement in the summer of 1829 ? 



JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 351 



Doctrine of NuUificalion in Virginia, North Carolina and Alabama. 



with a law of Congress, and to induce the legislature to 
declare that it should be disregarded and held void. 

The legislature of Virginia also declared its assent to the 
same principle of nullification, and judging from the opin- 
ions expressed by the public functionaries of those states, 
the time appeared to be near at hand, when the union was 
about to be dissolved by the determination of a large section 
not to submit to the laws of the Federal Government, nor 
to any common tribunal appointed to decide upon their 
constitutionality. 

A check was, indeed, given to this spirit, by the State of 
North Carolina, which, although not less averse to the pol- 
icy of the tariff, declared itself against all violent measures 
in opposition to it. 

The State of Alabama had, in 1828, when remonstrating 
against the passage of the tariff bill, conceded the right of 
Congress, to pass revenue laws, akhough the incidental 
effect might be to protect domestic manufactures. But in 
1S29, it went farther, and assumed nearly the same ground 
with Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia. Still the 
qualified opposition first made to the law proved, that the 
south was not united in the constitutional stand taken by 
some of the states on that subject, and that the injustice 
and oppression which were so vehemently denounced, were 
not so plainly and generally felt, as to render violent resis- 
tance to the tariff a popular step. Indeed, it was doubted, 
whether the feelings of the people in the three states, which 
had declared in favor of nullification, were not misrepre- 
rented by the local legislatures. However decidedly they 
might have disapproved of the policy of protection, no suf- 
ficient evidence had yet been given that they deemed it a 
greater evil than disunion, and the declarations and resolu- 
tions put forth by the state governments, were justly con- 
sidered as the sudden ebullitions of violent feelings, or as 
efforts on the part of leading men, to excite a temxpest in 

How far had the controversy with the Indians been carried ? 

What the declaration of Virginia ? 

What evil was anticipated from the collisions ? 

By what state was this spirit of disorganization checked ? 

What concession on the part of Alabama in 1828 ? 

What did it assume in 1829 ? 



352 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Progress of the Nullification Excitement. Anti-nicisonry and nullification. 

the public mind for political effect. This movement was 
not rendered less dangerous by the motives of those 
who made it. When the storm began to rage, it seemed 
incontrollable. It might as easily break down the bar- 
riers of the constitution and overturn the government, 
as annul an unpopular law. The federative principle of 
the constitution and the whole authority of Congress and of 
the Federal Judiciary were put in issue by the question 
now started, and however unwilling the leaders might be 
to destroy the union, still experience had too clearly shown 
the difficulty of restraining an excited people, not to create 
apprehension as to the result of these efforts to throw off 
the authority of the general government. Similar move- 
ments in another portion of the union, also, originating in 
local interests, and aiming at the extension of state sover- 
eignty, to the detriment of the just claims of the federal 
government, gave additional ground for these apprehen- 
sions. Efforts had been made of late years in some of the 
western states, to induce them to claim, under pretence of 
their rights as sovereign states, the public lands belonging 
to the United Stales within their several limits. 

In 1830, the general opposition to the tariff continued, at 
the south, and the Anti-masonic party gained strength and 
popularity at the north ; one hundred and twenty thousand 
votes were given on the ticket for state officers in New 
York, and in Vermont the party was still stronger, and 
were able to control the elections. 

We have already alluded to the attempts, to remove the 
Indians from their territory in Georgia and some of the 
other southern states. This subject, however, should be 
more fully and perfectly presented. For the following ac- 
count of it we are indebted principally to that excellent 
work, from which we have derived most of our account of 
the tariff. 

In 1827, the Cherokees discarded their former rude gov- 
ernment, and adopted a written constitution. This meas- 

What reason have we to suppose that the people of the south were 
not united in the belief of the propriety of the course pursued 
by some of the states against the general government ? 

When did the Cherokees adopt a written constitution? 



JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 353 

Evils to be shunned. Change in Indian Government. 

ure extinguished the hope of effecting the removal of this^ 
tribe from the state of Georgia, and therefore induced the 
local authorities to hold a different language toward the 
Indians and toward the general government. They had, 
till now, conceded to the general government, the right of 
jurisdiction over the whole subject; and the State of Geor- 
gia had only urged that it was its duty to fulfill the com- 
pact of 1802, and put them in possession of the lands of 
the Cherokees. But they now extended their jurisdiction 
over the whole matter. According to this new doctrine, 
the Indian territory belonged absolutely to Georgia, and the 
Cherokees were tenants at will, and she had the right to 
decide, at any time, what should be the nature of this ten- 
ancy. 

Similar encroachments upon the federal authority had 
been attempted in relation to the Creek treaty ; but they 
were arrested by the executive. Had a similar course been 
taken by the executive in 1828, it might doubtless have 
been followed by similar results. But almost immediately 
after the inauguration of General Jackson, communications 
were made by the executive, indicating the policy which 
would be pursued in relation to the Indians. From these 
papers it was supposed that the federal administration con- 
ceded to Georgia full power as a sovereign state to extend 
her civil and criminal jurisdiction over all the tribes within 
her limits ; and that the treaties made with the United 
States, so far as they contravened this authority, were not 
binding upon the general government, inasmuch as it had 
not a constitutional right to make such treaties, — that the 
Indian title to the lands aforesaid, was only a right to hunt^ 
and was, consequently, temporary^ and subject to be abridg- 
ed, whenever the country was wanted for the use of civil- 
ized man. It was also maintained that the right guaran- 
tied by the ge*neral government was merely the right of 
possession; and was never intended to be adverse to the 
sovereign right of Georgia. It was contended that the at- 
titude assumed by the Cherokee nation, in professing 



What change did this produce in the policy of Georgia, respecting 

the Indians ? 
What rights was it supposed the executive conceded to Georgia ? 



354 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Different views of Indian rights. Laws of Georgia. 

themselves independent, was one which was never contem- 
plated, and could not be sustained by the federal govern- 
ment. 

The Cherokee chieftains on their part contended that the 
right of their tribe to its territory was anterior to all other 
claims, and had been recognized by the whites, and guar- 
antied by treaties. They believed their right of regulating 
their domestic affairs equally undeniable ; and they con- 
ceived that it never had been surrendered by treaty. And 
as they had taken no part in the formation of the United 
States, nor of the compact of 1802, they did not consider 
themselves as bound by those instruments, nor by any con- 
struction put upon them. 

Had the controversy been confined to these parties, no 
difficulty probably would have grown out of the dispute. 
But in 1828, Georgia passed an act, providing for a division 
of the Cherokee country within the limits of the state into 
five portions, and attached them to five contiguous counties. 
The laws of Georgia were extended over the white resi- 
dents within the territory, and the Indians were declared to 
be subject, after the 1st of June, 1830, to such laws, as the 
legislature might prescribe. The Cherokee laws and cus- 
toms were declared to be void, after the same period, and 
all the Indians or their descendants, residing within the 
nation, were declared to be incompetent, either as witnesses 
or parties in a suit wherein a white man was a party. This 
law caused great excitement, and many meetings were held 
in various parts of the union for the purpose of remonstra- 
ting against the construction given by the executive, of the 
treaties between the United States and the Cherokees. 

The faith of the nation had been plighted to these tribes, 
and their dependent situation gave them a strong claim upon 
it. The governor of Georgia, therefore, thought that the 
act of 1828 could not be carried into effect without exciting 
a torrent of public feeling against it. An act was, there 
fore, brought in, at the next session of the legislature, to 
repeal that section of the law, which incapacitated Indians 
from appearing in any character in courts of justice. 

For what rights did the Cherokees contend? 

"What act did Georgia pass in 1828 ? 

What feeling did this excite m various parts of the union ? 



JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 355 

Similar laws in Alabama and Mississippi. Part of the president in the controversy. 

This new act incorporated the Cherokee country with 
the adjoining counties, and extended the criminal and civil 
jurisdiction of the state over all persons inhabiting it. It 
also declared all the Cherokee laws void, and rendered it 
criminal to carry them into effect, so far as they provided 
for the punishment of Indians for selling land, or calling or 
attending a council with that view. It was also declared a 
misdemeanor to dissuade the Indians from selling their 
lands, and all Indians residing within the Cherokee territo- 
ry were rendered incompetent to testify in suits where a 
white man residing out of the nation was a party. 

The states of Alabama and Mississippi followed in some 
degree the example of Georgia, and took measures to 
extend their jurisdiction over the Indian territory within 
their respective limits. 

The determination of General Jackson was, not to en- 
force the Indian Intercourse Act, whenever its provisions 
should bring the general government into collision with the 
state authorities. Georgia, soon after, carried into effect, 
what she had only threatened under the preceding admin- 
istration. Her course was controlled only by her own ideas 
of propriety and expediency. 

Soon after Georgia extended her jurisdiction over the 
Cherokee territory, the writs of the state courts were issued 
against residents in the Indian territory, and the Cherokees 
were tried before the state tribunals, without any regard to 
their pleas to the court, before which they w^ere summoned, 

George Tassel being charged with the murder of anoth- 
er Cherokee upon the Indian territory, an effort was made 
to procure the decision of the supreme court, upon the con- 
stitutionality of the state law^s. After his trial and con- 
demnation, by the superior court for Hall county, a writ of 
error was issued from the Supreme Court of the United 
States, and a citation was served upon Governor Gilmer, 
on December 22, 1830, requiring the State of Georgia to 
appear before the Supreme Court at Washington, on the 

What was the purport of the new act introduced at the next ses- 
sion ? 

What other states followed the example of Georgia ? 

"What soon followed the extension of jurisdiction over the Chero- 
kees ? 



356 -SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Tassel. Indians under the jurisdiction of Georgia. Proclamation. 

second Monday of January, to show cause why the judg- 
ment in that case should not be reversed. 

Governor Gilmer, on receiving the citation, immediately 
transmitted it to the legislature, with a message exhorting 
that body to take measures to resist any interference on the 
part of the Federal Judiciary. Upon the reception of this 
message, resolutions were passed highly disapproving of the 
interference of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of 
the United States, and requesting the governor and every 
other officer of the state to disregard every mandate and 
process of said court, which should interfere with the laws 
of the state, and authorizing them to resist and repel them. 
In consequence of these resolutions, Tassel was executed 
according to his sentence. 

The execution of Tassel, (the plaintiff in error,) of course 
prevented any further proceedings upon the writ of error. 

The State of Georgia next proceeded to authorize the 
survey and occupation of the Indian territory, with the view 
of distributing it among the citizens of Georgia. 

A law v^^as also passed, forbidding the holding of any 
legislative councils, or judicial courts among the Indians, 
and the exercise of any official authority on the part of the 
natives. But it authorized them to hold communication 
with the commissioners of the United States, in order to 
enable the federal government to go on, and purchase the 
Indian territory by treaty. 

Another law, also, was enacted, declaring that no Cher- 
okee should be bound by any contract, entered into with a 
white man, nor should be liable to be sued on such con- 
tract. 

A proclamation was also issued prohibiting the digging 
of gold on the Indian lands, and the United States troops 
were at tirst ordered to co-operate, in carrying into effect 



Why was Governor Grilmer required to appear before the Supreme 

Court of the United States ? 
What did he do respecting this citation in his message ? 
What resolutions did the legislature pass ? 
To what did Georgia next proceed ? 
What two laws were passed ? 
What proclamation was issued ? 



JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 357 

Pe tition of Georgia. Keply. Residents. 

this law, by arresting the gold diggers and destroying their 
huts. 

This movement on the part of the United States troops 
was under the authority vested in the president, by the In- 
dian intercourse act of 1802 ; but this law also prohibited 
any encroachment on the Indian territory, and any further 
acquiescence in the validity of that law, was inconsistent 
with the pretensions of Georgia. A communication was 
accordingly addressed by the governor to the president of 
the United States, requesting the withdrawal of the United 
States troops from the Indian territory, on the ground that 
the enforcement of the provisions of the law, under which 
they acted, was inconsistent with the rights of Georgia ; 
that the legislature were then assembled for the purpose of 
extending the laws of the state over the Indian country ; 
that the state government was abundantly competent to 
preserve order within the Cherokee territory. 

To this communication the Secretary of War replied that 
the troops were ordered upon the approach of winter, to re- 
tire into winter quarters, because, as the secretary added, 
' it is expected that the emergency which induced the troops 
to enter the Indian country has ceased.' The troops were 
accordingly removed, and the Cherokees soon found their 
residence in their own territory intolerable. 

The State of Georgia required all such persons residing 
in the Cherokee country, to provide themselves with a per- 
mit from the governor, and to take an oath of allegiance to 
the state, and declared that all white persons residing there 
without having complied with these requisitions, should be 
punished with imprisonment in the penitentiary. 

Under this law Reverend Samuel Worcester and five 
other white persons, who had long been residents in the 
Cherokee territory, were arrested by this guard and brought 
before the superior court for refusing to comply with this 
law. 

Messrs. Worcester and Thompson, being missionaries, 
were discharged, on the ground that they were United 

What communication did the governor address to the president ? 

"What reply was made ? 

On what ground were Worcester and others arrested ? Released ? 

30 



358 SCHOOL HISTOEY. 



Worcester and his Associates. Opposition to Ga. Her Gov. summoned. Trial. 

States agents ; having been employed to disburse among 
the Cherokees their portion of the appropriation annually 
made to civilize the Indians. 

This decision, so far as it discharged the missionaries, 
gave great offence to the state authorities, and the governor 
obtained from the general government, a disavowal that the 
missionaries were its agents. Orders were also given to 
deprive Mr. Worcester of his appointment as post master, 
at New Echota ; and soon after, he, together with Ezra 
Butler, another missionary, were sentenced to four years 
confinement at hard labor, in the penitentiary of Georgia. 
The pretext for this severity was their continuing to reside 
in the Cherokee country, to which they had been invited 
to go, by the policy of the federal government, and their 
refusing to take the oath of allegiance to the state of Geor- 
gia. 

This gross violation of personal rights and disregard of 
the Federal compact, excited the greatest indignation 
throughout the country, among all the friends of missions, 
and many others. But Georgia persevered in the ground 
she had assumed, and proceeded to expel the Cherokees 
from their own territory. The chieftains composing the 
legislative and executive council of the tribe, carefully ab- 
stained from all violence, and appealed to the American 
tribunals for defence of their rights. 

A bill was filed in behalf of the nation on the equity 
side of the Supreme Courts of the United States, and a 
process was duly served on the Governor of the State of 
Georgia to test the validity of her claims, and to procure 
an injunction to restrain her from pursuing so inconsistent 
a course. But no notice was taken of these proceedings 
by the state government, except the adoption of a resolu- 
tion to set at defiance the authority of the Court. 



Why were he and Butler imprisoned ? 
What feeling did this excite in the country ? 
What did Georgia proceed to do ? 
From what did the Indians abstain ? 
"What did the courts do ? 
The state of Georgia ? 



JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 359' 

Triat. Decision. Annuity. 

The Court, however, proceeded to hear the cause, and 
after a full argument in behalf of the Cherokees, decided 
that, in that form, it had no jurisdiction of the matter. 

The Supreme Court had jurisdiction between two states 
of the confederacy, and also between a foreign state and 
one of the states of the Union. The Cherokee tribe, how- 
ever, was neither a foreign state, nor a member of the con- 
federacy, but a domestic dependant nation in a state of 
pupilage, and in relation to the United States resembling 
that of a ward to its guardian. 

The prayer of the bill, was therefore denied, and the Cher- 
okee tribe was still exposed to the encroachments and op- 
pressions of its neighbors in spite of the plain and positive 
stipulation of treaties. 

In addition to the countenance given by the General 
Government to these arbitrary proceedings on the part of 
Georgia, a change was adopted in the mode of distributing 
the annuity stipulated to be paid to the Cherokee tribe. 

By the treaties between the United States, and that 
tribe, certain sums of money, amounting in the whole, to 
twelve thousand dollars, were agreed to be paid annually, 
' to the Cherokee nation,' and pursuant to these stipula- 
tions, the payments hitherto had been punctually made by 
the Government to the chieftains representing the nation, 
and who, in the treaties with that tribe, have been consid- 
ered as the proper agents to transact business in its behalf. 

The administration having adopted a new policy respect- 
ing the Indians, and regarding them as subject to the state 
within whose limits they were, it resolved to carry out the 
principle, and orders were issued from the War Depart- 
ment not to pay the annuities as formerly to the chieftains 
of the Cherokee tribe, but to distribute them among the 
nation, — paying to each individual his proportion. The 
number of Cherokees east of the Mississippi being between 
fourteen and fifteen thousand, the share of each individual 
would come to less than a dollar, and as the tribe extended 
over a large tract of country, the expenses of each Indian's 

What was the decision of the court ? 
The ground of it ? 

What annuity was paid to the Cherokees ? 
What change in the policy respecting it ? 



360 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

The Choctaws. 

travelling to the agency, would more than absorb the sum 
to which he was entitled. The effect of the order was, 
therefore, a virtual witholding of the annuity, and it was 
regarded by many as an additional violation of the trea- 
ties between that tribe and the government of the United 
States. 

The Cherokees generally refused to receive the annui- 
ties in this manner, and the money consequently remained 
in the hands of the agents of the United States. 

The witholding the annuity and the encroachments 
made upon their territory by the state authorities, did 
not facilitate the accomplishment of the object aimed at 
by the State. The Cherokees, conscious of their rights, 
and strong in the support of public opinion, refused to re- 
move from their territory or even to treat for its cession. 
Excited by a conviction of their having been unjustly trea- 
ted, they regarded the Government of the United States 
itself in an unfriendly light, and communicated with its 
agents only in the shape of complaint and remonstrance. 
In the meantime, the state of Georgia pursued its course 
regardless of the opinion of a large part of the country. 
Some, however, in all parts of the country approved both 
of the course of Georgia and the General Government. 

The United States were more successful in efforts to 
persuade the Choctaws — a numerous tribe in the states of 
Alabama and Mississippi — to remove beyond the Missis- 
sippi, and to cede their lands east of that river to the United 
States. Shortly after the adjournment of Congress in 
1830, General John Coffee, and the Secretary of War, 
(Mr. Eaton) were appointed commissioners to negotiate with 
that tribe for a cession of their territory. The council of 
the tribe was accordingly invited to meet them in Septem- 
ber, at Dancing River Creek, in the Choctaw country. 
After a protracted negotiation, those chiefs who were op- 
posed to a cession having retired from the council, a treaty 
was concluded with the remaining chieftains, by which, 



Did the Cherokees receive the annuities ? 

Did they refuse to remove ? 

How did they regard the government? 

How was a treaty vrith the Choctaws secured? 



JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 361 

Removal of the Choctaws. Treaty with them. 

all the Choctaw territory east of the Mississippi was ceded 
to the United States. 

The Indians were to be removed at the expense of the 
United States, in wagons and steamboats, and to be sup- 
ported one year after their arrival at their new homes. 
Their new country, according to the boundaries described 
in the treaty of Washington City, in 1825, and the juris- 
diction and government of all persons and property within 
its limits, it was agreed should be secured to them forever; 
no state or territory should ever extend its jurisdiction 
over any part of it; the nation should always be governed 
by its own laws, which, however, were not to be inconsist- 
ent with those of the United States. The United States 
stipulated to protect the Choctaws from domestic strife, 
and from foreign enemies, as if they were citizens of the 
United States. Navigable streams were declared to be 
free to the Choctaws, and the United States were author- 
ed to establish roads through their territory. Provision 
was made for the apprehension and punishment of tres- 
passers and offenders ; and Choctaws on the territory 
ceded, were authorized to become citizens of the United 
States, upon declaring their intention, and were therefore 
entitled to a reservation of six hundred and forty acres of 
land each. The propriety of admitting the nation to a re- 
presentation by their delegate on the floor of Congress, 
after they shall become sufficiently civilized, is submitted 
in the treaty to the consideration, of Congress. 

The Choctaws agreed to remove in 1831-2-3. In the 
mean time the United States were to keep out intruders ; 
and the commissioners promised that the government 
should use its influence with the State of Mississippi, to 
suspend the operation of her laws, and also with Alabama 
not to extend her laws into the nation, for the space of 
three years. The country, however, in the meantime, 
was to be surveyed as soon as practicable, by prudent, dis- 
creet surveyors. 

Upon this treaty being submitted to the Senate for its 



What do you remember about the terms of the treaty ? 
When were they removed ? 

31 



362 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Treaty with the Chicasaws. 

ratification, that body determined to enquire minutely, into 
the circumstances under which it was made, and a resolu- 
tion was accordingly introduced, calling for any letters re- 
ceived from the Choctaw chieftains in relation to the 
treaty. An enquiry was also instituted into the character 
of the territory west of the Mississippi destined for the 
Choctaw tribe. These enquiries having terminated satis- 
factorily, a resolution was then introduced disavowing the 
principle contained in the preamble of the treaty, by which 
the President of the United States is represented as say- 
ing, that he cannot protect the Choctaw people from the 
operation of the laws of the state of Mississippi. This doc- 
trine was that by which the President and his Cabinet 
justified their neglect to execute the provisions of the 
Indian Intercourse Act ; and the decisive vote of the Sen- 
ate, by which the preamble was stricken out, was consid- 
ered a condemnation on the part of that body, of the 
principle, which the president sought to introduce into the 
administration of the government. This preamble being 
stricken out, the treaty was confirmed by the Senate. 

A similar treaty was also made with the Chicasaws. 
Some future page of our national history will more fully 
reveal the consequences of this removal of the Indians, will 
detail the causes and effects of a change in the National 
Bank, and of the institution of the sub-treasury system, 
and other such events as are not yet sufficiently remote 
from the time of their occurrence to be incorporated into 
our national story. 

What did the senate do with the treaty ? 

With what other tribe was a similar treaty made ? 



JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 363 
Questions. 



GEOaRAPHICAL QUESTIONS. 
CHAPTER VIII. 



(2) Where is Detroit ? Which way from Maiden ? From Mack- 
inaw ? From Niagara ? From Buffalo ? From Plattsburg ? In 
what part of Ohio is Franklinton ? Which way from Freiiditown ? 
Which way from the Chesapeake bay is the Delaware ? New York ? 
New London ? In what part of Canada is York ? Where were the 
Beaver Dams ? After Perry's victory of what places did the Ameri- 
cans take possession ? Where was the Moravian village ? AVhich 
v.-ay from Lake Ontario ? From Williamsburg ? From Plattsburg ? 
What towns did the Indians soon destroy ? Where are they ? 
Where is Fort Minis ? What other places in Alabama were at- 
tacked during the year ? At what place did commissioners from 
the two nations meet? (1) Where is it? (4) Where is Bladens- 
burg ? Washingtoti ? Alexandria ? (2) Eastport ? Plattsburg ? Where 
is the island of Barrataria ? Which way from Pensacola ? From 
New Orleans ? Which way from the last was the battle field ? 
What lakes north of it ? How is Indiana bounded ? Mississippi ? 
Describe the grand canal in New York. Where did the Seminoles 
reside ? In what part of that country are Pensacola and St. Marks ? 
Describe Illinois. Alabama. Arkansas. Maine. (1) Where is 
Panama ? (2) Describe the water communication from New York 
by way of the Lakes to New Orleans. 



CHRONOLOGICAL QUESTIONS. 
CHAPTER VIII. 

With what important event does this chapter begin ? In whose 
administration ? When was war declared ? When did Hull sur- 
render Detroit ? — Who succeeded him ? When ? When was the 
attack on Queenstown? When did Jones capture the Frolic? — 
What naval battle on 29th of December? — What states, at the 
close of the year, refused to furnish troops ? Why ? What pre- 
parations were made for the campaign of the next year ? When 



364 SCHOOL HISTORY. 



Questions. 



was Madison re-elected ? What places were captured soon after ? 
When was the battle at Beaver Dams ? On Lake Erie ?— At Mo- 
ravian village ? — On Lake Ontario ? — At Williamsburg ?— Near 
Plattsburg? When was Niagara burnt? When the battle at 
Fort George ? What naval engagements on the ocean during this 
year ? — What modes of attack did the British adopt at the com- 
mencement of 1814 ? When was the battle near Chippewa ?— At 
Bridge water ?— What battle on the 15th of August ?— How was the 
British fleet in the Chesapeake divided ? When was the attack on 
Bladensburg and Washington ?— What other place soon surren- 
dered ? When was the battle on Lake Champlain ? — What naval 
engagements on the ocean this year? — When was the Hartford 
Convention ? — Where did the pirates commit depredations at this 
time ?— When was the battle near New Orleans ?— How long after 
that on Lake Champlain ? That on Lake Erie ? When did the 
news of peace arrive ? How long after the treaty was formed ? 
After the war begun ? Mention the prominent battles during this 
war. When was the national bank re-chartered ? For how long ? 
When was Monroe chosen president? When did the Seminole 
war begin? Give an account of Gen. Jackson's conduct in it. 
When was Illinois admitted to the Union ? Alabama ? Maine ? 
Missouri? When did Arkansas become a territory? When did 
Florida? When was Monroe re-elected president? When was 
Porter's expedition to the West Indies ? — What was the object of 
the tariff law of 1824 ? When did La Fayette visit America ?— 
When did the excitement in Georgia respecting the Indians begin ? 
Where was it proposed to remove them? What contest in South 
America about the same time? Who was elected president in 
1825 ? What event distinguished the 4th of July in the following 
year ? What do you recollect about these men ? When did Anti- 
Masonry begin in New York? — Who was elected president in 
1829 ? What rendered the beginning of his administration con- 
spicuous ? Give an account of the rise and progress of nullifica- 
tion. When did the Cherokees adopt a written constitution ? Give 
an account of the eflforts to remove the Indians from the southern 
states. 



CONCLUSION. 365 



Growth of the country. Influx of foreigners. Mobs. 



CONCLUSION. 

This brief view of the History of our country will, it is 
hoped, be sufficient to excite among the young, a thirst 
for more extensive information on a subject, in which they 
are most deeply interested. 

The growth of the country in numher, wealth, and power 
has no parallel. If knowledge and virtue keep pace with 
improvements in the arts and sciences, and with the means 
of intercommunication, the United States of America 
will continue to be, not only the home of the oppressed and 
the asylum of the friends of freedom, but in the express- 
ive language of the Bible " a name and a praise in the 
whole earth." 

But while the philanthropist rejoices in what this coun- 
try is and may become., he must not close his eyes to the 
elements of ruin, which, since 1830, have so rapidly acca- 
mulated strength and whose commotions should awaken 
his apprehensions. 

A million and a half of our youth are at this moment 
growing up without the means of school education. Those 
who will neither be able to read for themselves, lessons of 
wisdom in the Book of God, nor to receive warning and 
encouragement from the history of the times ! Ignorance 
and vice will surely overthrow the pillars of any republic. 

The great increase of uneducated foreigners, is also a 
most serious cause of alarm. Men allowed to appear at 
the polls before they are familiar with our laws, our gov- 
ernment, institutions or our civil polity, are fit tools for the 
designing demagogue. An oath of allegiance, taken by 
a man whose home is in another land, is as powerless in 
making him a true patriot^ as are the rays of the moon to 
cherish vegetation amidst the snows of Greenland or IN ova 
Zembla. 

Another element of evil is the growing tendency to pop- 
ular excitement and the prevalence of mobs in our country. 
How unhealthy must that public opinion be, which will 

give over the execution of justice even, to the infuriated 
31 # 



366 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Responsibilities of the young. 

mob, called together, by any who have power to raise the 
tempest, but not " to direct the storm." 

The warning voice of the " Father of his country," was 
long since heard admonishing us, to avoid this and other 
similar evils. But alas, the events of the past, prove that, 
by many, it has been strangely forgotten ! 

The youth of the United States must perpetuate the 
blessings of civil and religious liberty, if these blessings 
are to be enjoyed by their successors. On them the 
responsibility must rest of perpetuating or losing the bless- 
ings which have cost the toils, the treasure and the blood 
of our fathers. From this responsibility they cannot be ex- 
empt. Happy will it be for them, if they study the duties 
which devolve upon them, and become qualified to sustain 
the character of good citizens, true patriots and christians. 

To the multiplied dangers that have arisen or which 
may arise, affecting the permanency of our institutions, 
no descendant of the pilgrims can safely and innocently 
shut his eyes. Let the elements of evil, and the elements 
of safety be duly appreciated, and then may we hope to 
escape the consequences of the one and secure the bless- 
ings of the other. 

May it be remembered by every youth of our country, 
that no permanent good can be preserved without effort, 
and in order, that efforts should be properly directed, there 
must be a knowledge of the end to be accomplished, and 
of the means for its attainment. 

The sources, from which evil is to be feared, are many. 
But while the true patriot contemplates these with fearful 
apprehensions, he will not forget those things in our coun- 
try, which awaken pleasing hopes with regard to the future. 
To some of them, it is proper in this place, to advert. Of 
these, one evidently is the number and importance of our 
BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES, whoso object it IS, to make men 
wiser, better and happier. The following are some of 
them : — The American Board of Foreign Missions, having 
an income of two hundred thousand dollars ; and three 
hundred and thirty-seven missionaries; The American 
Baptist Board of Missions whose income is from sev- 
enty-five to eighty thousand dollars ; The Domestic and 
Foreign Missionary Society, in the Protestant Episcopal 
church, with an income of tvrenty-six thousand dollars ; 



CONCLUSION. 367 



Benevolent Institutions . Literacy Institutions. 

The United Brethren's Society for propagating the gospel 
among the heathen, whose income is more than ten thous- 
and dollars ; The Methodist Missionary Society, having 
an income from thirty to forty thousand dollars ; The Amer- 
ican Bible Society, with an income of more than one hun- 
dred and fifty thousand dollars ; The American Sunday 
School Union, whose income is one hundred thousand dol- 
lars ; The American Tract Society, whose income is 
about one hundred thousand dollars ; The American Ed- 
ucation Society and Presbyterian Education Society, whose 
incomes are together eighty-nine thousand dollars ; The 
American Temperance Society ; The American Home 
Missionary Society, with an income of nearly one hundred 
thousand dollars ; The American Seaman's Friend Socie- 
ty, whose income is more than twelve thousand dollars ; 
The American Baptist Home Missionary Society having an 
income of eight thousand dollars ; The General Assembly's 
Board of Education, with an income of forty-five thousand 
dollars ; The General Assembly's Board of Missions, with 
an income from forty to fifty thousand dollars ; The Western 
Foreign Missionary Society, whose income is more than 
twenty-two thousand dollars ; The Reformed Dutch Church 
General Synod Board of Missions, with an income of near- 
ly ten thousand dollars ; Reformed Dutch Church General 
Synod Board of Education, with an income of more than 
six thousand dollars ; Reformed Dutch Church General 
Synod Board of Foreign Missions, with an income of four 
thousand dollars ; Baptist General Tract Society, with an 
income of six thousand dollars ; Northern Baptist Educa- 
tion Society, having an income of seven thousand dollars ; 
New York Baptist Education Society, whose income is ten 
thousand dollars ; Prison Dicipline Society, whose income 
is more than three thousand dollars annually, beside many 
smaller associations for similar objects, all embodying the 
christian influence of the community, upon which the sal- 
vation of the country essentially depends. 

The number and character of the literary institutions of 
the country, especially colleges, and their rapid increase, 
give us bright hopes of future good. 

In Maine there are two colleges in a flourishing condi- 
tion, in New Hampshire, one ; in Massachusetts, three ; in 



368 SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Divine Blessing. 

Vermont, three ; in Connecticut, three ; in Rliode Island; 
one ; in New York, five ; New Jersey, two ; Pennsylvania; 
eight; Delaware, eight; Maryland, five ; District of Co 
lumbia, two ; Virginia, four ; North Carolina, one ; Sou.tJ-. 
Carolina, two ; Georgia, one ; Alabama, three ; Mississip- 
pi, two ; Louisiana, two or three ; Tennessee, five ; Ken- 
tucky, seven ; Ohio, nine or ten ; Indiana, three ; Illinois , 
one ; Missouri, three. A large part of these are well en- 
dowed, and furnished with competent teachers, librarie;; 
and apparatus, and are under a healthy moral influence. 

In addition to these may be mentioned thirty-four or five 
Theological Institutions, and nearly as many Medical and 
Law Schools. Besides these are some ten or fifteen Teach- 
er's Seminaries, and a large number of well regulated lite 
rary institutions of a lower grade. In these, the youth O' 
the United States may be educated to a considerable extent. 
for the responsible stations they will be called to fill. 

To these may be added the increasing interest taken ir 
popular education; — the various associations, formed for 
promoting primary instruction ; numberless valuable peri- 
odicals and reviews, circulated among all classes ; Sabbatt. 
schools and other associations for the study of the Biblo;, 
found in almost every town and village and diffusing their 
blessings to all classes. By these remedial causes we may 
hope for deliverance from the evils that threaten our nation- 
al prosperity. But the efficiency even of these causes de> 
pends, under God, on our own exertions. Let us, then, in 
a diligent and faithful performance of our duty, look up 
with the assurance of hope to Him that governs the na- 
tions ; for ' except the Lord keep the city, the watchman 
waketh but in vain.' 



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